How To Use Snow To Build A Shelter In Case Of An Emergency

Deciding to go camping during the winter is one thing. Being stranded overnight in frigid temperatures is another. While being lost in the woods on a cold winter night certainly qualifies as an emergency situation, it is not hopeless. There are plenty of ways to build survival shelters if you're taken off-track while adventuring outdoors. If you happen to be in an area of deep snow, you actually have everything you need to make a shelter that will see you through the night.

Anywhere that has inches or feet of snow on the ground is cold enough to result in hypothermia or frostbite. However, that icy-cold substance can also help fend off those dangers if you know how to use snow to build a shelter in case of an emergency. Not only can a snow shelter keep you safe in a survival situation, it doesn't take a high level of skill nor special tools to build one. In fact, there are a handful of simple designs that will allow you to fashion a shelter from snow if you find yourself in such a dangerous situation.

Depending on how packed the snow is, you may be able to build any one of these shelters with your hands or improvised tools. However, it is far easier to do with a shovel or other sharp-edged implements. To that end, if you are utilizing something such as the Molle System Survival Gear Kit as your hiking essentials emergency supply bag, you will have all you need to efficiently build any snow shelter, as the kit is stocked with a foldable shovel, hatchet, saw blade, and knives.

There are numerous types of snow shelter options: snow trench, tree pit, snow cave, quinzhee, and igloo. Igloos are the best, but also the most impractical in a survival situation. Snow trenches and tree pits are the simplest. A snow trench is a trench dug into the snow that you can lie in. It's helpful to place a tarp or blanket above and below to help trap body heat. A tree pit simply involves scooping a space around the trunk of a large tree, using the snow to build walls, and covering the pit with tree branches.

Snow caves are a good option, but require deep snow. According to Backpacker magazine, the snow must be at least six feet deep. Additionally, snow caves are best on sloping terrain. To build a snow cave, begin digging on the downslope side and work up. Firmly pack the snow on the inside of the tunnel as you go and poke one or more ventilation holes in the ceiling. Also place sticks or other objects atop the snow cave to alert anyone who may happen by that you are there.

A quinzhee is essentially a snow cave dug into a mound of snow you've built yourself. This is a good option in areas that lack the depth of snow to build the other types of shelter. However, it does take time to construct. To build a quinzhee, first build a large mound of snow and pack it down. Then, allow the snow mound to settle for a few hours. At that point, you can begin digging a snow tunnel into the mound. Again, it is important to create a ventilation hole in the ceiling.