Inspired by jon r's successful quinze, I had a go at building one down here on the Land's end peninsula - a Cornish quinzhee
First, I marked out the overall shape, then dug out the snow. Apparently, if you build on existing snow there is a danger that the layers of snow will have different tensions and cause the structure to become unstable.
It was still snowing during the day while I was piling up snow. However, temperatures were around 1 - 0 degrees C and I was concerned about a thaw making things dangerous. It took me ages to build a pile of snow large enough, as we only had 2 - 4 inches.
Once done, I inserted foot long bamboo poles (pilfered from the old runner bean row).
After inserting the sticks, I covered the ends in more snow because I wanted to avoid the snow melting. (Dark things absorb more heat) At last, it was ready to leave so the snow could settle. I left it overnight.
This morning, I hollowed out the inside.
Completed quinzhee
Inside - that stick is just over a foot in length
It was just long enough for me to lie down
But not quite high enough to sit up!
Air hole for increased ventilation
First, I marked out the overall shape, then dug out the snow. Apparently, if you build on existing snow there is a danger that the layers of snow will have different tensions and cause the structure to become unstable.
It was still snowing during the day while I was piling up snow. However, temperatures were around 1 - 0 degrees C and I was concerned about a thaw making things dangerous. It took me ages to build a pile of snow large enough, as we only had 2 - 4 inches.
Once done, I inserted foot long bamboo poles (pilfered from the old runner bean row).
After inserting the sticks, I covered the ends in more snow because I wanted to avoid the snow melting. (Dark things absorb more heat) At last, it was ready to leave so the snow could settle. I left it overnight.
This morning, I hollowed out the inside.
Completed quinzhee
Inside - that stick is just over a foot in length
It was just long enough for me to lie down
But not quite high enough to sit up!
Air hole for increased ventilation
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