Winter Shelter Pictures

Quinzee Snow Shelter

Going Winter camping?? Ever, wonder which tent to take?? Do you have snow?? Is it cold enough??

Leave the tent in the truck. Grab a shovel or two and get to it!! Pile the snow into a big pile. Let it settle and bond. Hollow it out.....viola, a quinzee snow shelter.

I am sure there are a hundred blogs or websites that have detailed instructions for building snow shelters. 

I have posted a few pic's of a recent trip. Enjoy.

Construction Access

Sometimes, creating a second access point can speed up construction time. Of course, you will want to have a plan for how to fill that void before you have to live in your shelter.

Harvest Lots of Snow

Interior View - Looking Towards Entrance

When the snow is not too deep a large area must be cleared to create a pile of snow large enough to live in.

Lakes make great building locations, provided the ice is thick enough. 12" seemed like a good thickness.

The area around this shelter was cleared for about 20' in all directions. The toboggan in the picture is my Pelican 45. (Pelican Toboggan Link: Part One & Part Two .)

Points to consider.....the interior wants to be hollowed out, leaving the walls and roof neither too thick nor too thin.

We discovered on this trip that some shelters that had too flat of a roof, began to sag. That shelter was found to be too unstable to sleep in over night.

Ideally, you want to have an arched interior shape to provide space and strength.

Best of all, when getting out for a Winter Camp is the incredible scenery. Wouldn't miss that for anything. 

 Until next time.....get out camping!!!

Mountainman.

Awesome Scenery!!