Snow Shelters

[KV]

I have not, but my husband and friends built snow caves for many many years in the Tuck's area of Mt. Washington. They built them at beginning of season once enough snow cover, cached supplies and just re-dug as necessary and opened vent holes.

Wish I had pictures: they had sleeping berths, shelving, chairs, benches and tables - all from snow.

The candle was for sealing the inside walls.

 

[SherpaWill]

It certainly was. I found another pic looking up into one of the caves that gives you a better idea of size.

 

[DayTrip]

It certainly was. I found another pic looking up into one of the caves that gives you a better idea of size.

View attachment 5948

Wow. I don't think my claustrophobia would allow me to enjoy a shelter quite that size.

 

[peakbagger]

Snow Caves are not as dark as the photo implies. Note the shot was taken from inside, so the camera had to adjust the exposure of the bright outside light. At least with Qinzee's, the snow shell isn't that thick and light does diffusely transmit through the snow to give the interior a bit of a glow. Nevertheless for someone truly claustrophobic, snow shelters are probably not prime real estate.

When a Qinzee is being built, sticks of a set length are inserted into the mound after its packed down and the sticks ends are set flush with the exterior. When excavating the interior, the trick is to stop digging when the other end of the sticks appear. Once the dome is excavated and there is bit of internal heat added to it by people or a candle, the shell gets quite hard fairly quickly due to freeze thaw as the moisture will travel into the wall and rapidly find a point where temperature is freezing and will refreeze. This builds up an ice shell in the interior. After a day or so, they take quite a bit of abuse including people standing on top of them. Sustained warm weather is really the only thing that will take them out.

 

[Spiny Norman]

No problems with CO buildup? Getting a little jittery just thinking about the air hole getting plugged with wind blown snow.

 

[Nessmuk]

Outdoor instructors caution quinzee builders to be sure the necessary vent hole is kept free of snow. Make a second hole if you feel safer and do not completely plug the entranceway to allow fresh air to enter and circulate to the vent.

 

[DayTrip]

Outdoor instructors caution quinzee builders to be sure the necessary vent hole is kept free of snow. Make a second hole if you feel safer and do not completely plug the entranceway to allow fresh air to enter and circulate to the vent.

Wasn't that one of the purposes of the candle? If the candle went out there wasn't enough oxygen in the air and it was time to vent something. That was the impression I got anyway watching some of the videos.

 

[Nessmuk]

No, the purpose of the candle is not to be a "canary". Where did you get that idea? A single candle provides a considerable amount of warmth in the highly insulated quinzee (snow is an excellent insulator). As I previously posted, on a Boy Scout training weekend in the Adirondacks when it was -30F outside, I had 2 candles in my quinzee, raising the temperature to a very comfortable +20. I blew one out before I went to sleep and my ceiling started to melt and drip.

 

[DayTrip]

No, the purpose of the candle is not to be a "canary". Where did you get that idea? A single candle provides a considerable amount of warmth in the highly insulated quinzee (snow is an excellent insulator). As I previously posted, on a Boy Scout training weekend in the Adirondacks when it was -30F outside, I had 2 candles in my quinzee, raising the temperature to a very comfortable +20. I blew one out before I went to sleep and my ceiling started to melt and drip.

One of the videos I watched suggested that the candle could indicate a low level of oxygen and possible problems. Many of the videos I saw had people burning candles but they never specifically said it added heat to the shelters, although I assumed that was what it was for.

 

[Nessmuk]

I think that by the time a candle extinguishes due to low oxygen, the occupant would be in huge trouble already, which would only happen if the shelter was sealed perfectly air tight. Not likely to happen if you have any kind of a door and a vent hole (or not). The candle's purpose is to safely raise the internal temperature by a few degrees. It does that very well. On the other hand, I would never use a cook stove inside a quinzee.

I've slept many nights in snow shelters, and so have boy scouts in the deep snow area where we live, and we are all still alive. I have never heard of a candle going out from lack of oxygen.

 

[DayTrip]

I think that by the time a candle extinguishes due to low oxygen, the occupant would be in huge trouble already, which would only happen if the shelter was sealed perfectly air tight. Not likely to happen if you have any kind of a door and a vent hole (or not). The candle's purpose is to safely raise the internal temperature by a few degrees. It does that very well. On the other hand, I would never use a cook stove inside a quinzee.

I've slept many nights in snow shelters, and so have boy scouts in the deep snow area where we live, and we are all still alive. I have never heard of a candle going out from lack of oxygen.

Makes sense. The video I watched was a guy in a small snow cave carved into a deep drift on a steep slope so it was pretty small inside and he was sitting in it versus laying down in a more open area. After lighting the candle he mentioned making sure that when sealing the doorway to leave enough of a gap to allow air inside. His shelter had no vent hole. I probably just read more into it than what he was saying. I'll light my candle with confidence.

 

[SherpaWill]

Snow Caves are not as dark as the photo implies. Note the shot was taken from inside, so the camera had to adjust the exposure of the bright outside light. At least with Qinzee's, the snow shell isn't that thick and light does diffusely transmit through the snow to give the interior a bit of a glow. Nevertheless for someone truly claustrophobic, snow shelters are probably not prime real estate.

I don't remember it being that dark in there at all. I was a little relunctant at first, but it was really not that different than sleeping in a large tent. The weather was nice enough that we didn't have to block the entrance so air quality wasn't really an issue.