(Psst: The FTC wants me to remind you that this website contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from a link you click on, I might receive a small commission. This does not increase the price you’ll pay for that item nor does it decrease the awesomeness of the item. ~ Daisy)
To me, being prepared means being prepared for anything. I live where winter is a big factor, in Plant Hardiness Zone 4b. -25F is not out of the question. Now, you may live in the South, and you are shaking your head at me. Maybe your extreme weather would be the heat of the summer or desert. Read on, as you can learn about building a quinzee for winter camping as an example of preparing for one extreme, and be able to reflect on your own level of preparedness for yours.
I believe that any kind of SHTF is going to stretch me to my limits. I’ve read Selco’s stuff, and I’m a big admirer of how he makes the gritty challenges of SHTF real. Given how harsh my winter can be, doesn’t it make sense to test my limits in my harshest season?
Reading vs. Doing
It’s one thing to read about outdoor survival shelters in the winter, and it’s another thing to do it yourself. You may read advice in your outdoor survival guide to simply dig out a snow bank to make a life-saving shelter. Unless you have actually tried this, I would say that you will lack the experience to know how to do it properly, will waste valuable time, perhaps the last of daylight, and you may perish.
Here’s where winter camping comes in. No matter what climate zone you live in, having the experience of being outside in the extreme elements of your area can save your life. Putting up a tent in the middle of a harsh winter is one thing, but what about sleeping in the snow?
Snow can make a great shelter. I should know. I’ve slept in more than one snow cave, or quinzee, as they are called. I made them myself, one with friends and one completely alone. (For more information on snow shelters, check out this awesome book – not only is it good advice, but you’ll enjoy how it’s delivered.)
What’s Great About a Quinzee
The word quinzee is borrowed from the language of the Athabaskans, the original inhabitants of Alaska. Once you build one, you will realize the incredible insulating qualities of snow that you may have only read about.
Wind can also be a killer in winter. A properly constructed quinzee will shelter you from the wind, as well as the cold. Remember those childhood snow forts? I suffered some ceiling collapses, as I recall. If you build your quinzee properly, it will become very strong indeed. Before we left our winter campsite, a number of us literally stood on the roof of ours for a photo. No collapse! So, strength is another great benefit of the quinzee.
In a solid run of cold weather, there is no reason that you couldn’t survive quite nicely in a quinzee. You can build large or small ones. Our outdoors club chose to build several, which we connected through tunnels. The biggest enemy of the quinzee is warm weather. They would not be worth the investment of time and energy when the weather is close to melting temperature.
How to Build a Quinzee
If you don’t have snow, and lots of it, you cannot build a quinzee. Don’t even try! The basic method is to shovel a big pile of snow (how big will determine how many will fit inside, so choose carefully!), compact it, allow it to sinter (more on this below), and then hollow it out (but not too much!).
As many readers may be visual like myself, I am including some links so that you can access diagrams about building. Here is one from Wilderness College.
Start with a good-sized pile of snow. Select an area where there is a flat, clear place for your quinzee and also enough of a perimeter to easily remove the snow you will need. Recommendations vary as to how big to make the pile. Consider the height of the tallest person in your group. Wilderness College (Seattle area) recommends adding four feet to that for your length. A good height is as tall as a person, 6 or 7 feet high will ensure that you can have a raised sleeping platform. Make sure your roof is domed. A flat one will likely collapse.
The next step is to compact the pile of snow. We threw tarps on it and then threw ourselves on the tarp. You will find out what works for you. After compacting the pile, you need to let it sinter, which means solidify enough that it can be hollowed out. I recommend waiting at least 2 hours.
So, you see that a key of making your quinzee is knowing the timing. If you start too late in the day, you will be out of luck. We arrived quite early and had our quinzees already made when another group arrived quite late. They were not going to make it. We all chipped in to help them shovel their pile and make their quinzees in time to sleep in them. Ah, to be young again! The energy!
Once two hours have passed, you can get back to work. You need to slide a bunch of sticks 18 inches long into the pile. Check out the diagrams from Scouts here to see how. The sticks should all be inserted the same depth. Around 12 inches is good. Leave the six inches sticking out so that you can pull them out once it’s hollowed out. When you are tunneling out your quinzee, you need to stop when you hit the end of each stick. That is your cue that your ceiling is thick enough.
Having made several of these, I can testify that the activity could be dangerous, but not in the way that you think. Collapses are rare, but it is best not to dig one out alone. Instead, it is the exertion of this activity that could lead to getting your base layers wet and you being cold. To avoid this, we worked in teams, rotating through the hardest digging job. We wore a lighter base layer under a breathable, water-resistant outer layer. We worked slowly. Using this method, we did not need to change our base layers. We had a fire pit going nearby, and anyone who felt chilled could go and warm up as needed.
There are certain features that you want to aim for as you excavate your quinzee. We had our entranceway away from the prevailing wind. We began the entranceway right on the ground and slowly sloped it up. We had one central sleeping platform, but some designs, like this one from the Washington Trails Association, has one bunk on either side and a trench in the middle. See what you think.
Quinzee Danger
One potential danger of a quinzee would be not getting enough air. I recommend a careful approach to this. In my opinion, you need more air than you will get just pulling the sticks out! I like the WTA recommendation to have “two or three fist-sized holes one-third of the way down the dome”. Having a hole right at the top may lead to too much snow getting in.
Before bed, you can have one or two tealight candles going to warm it up. You will be amazed at how comfortable you will be! However, never leave the candles burning overnight. Never use your stove inside your quinzee, or you may fill your snow cave with Carbon Monoxide, and this could be fatal.
Fancy Quinzee with a View
I made my first quinzee over 30 years ago. Back in 2015, I decided I needed a refresher and built my own in the backyard of the house I was renting. As a special touch, I used a couple of cake pans to make ice outside. I used the ice panels for windows and a skylight that I carefully carved out space for. It was breathtaking to be in the quinzee and be able to see the stars and moonlight! That was 10 years ago, and, at almost age 56, I think it’s time for another refresher!
Winter Survival Requires Practice
Stretching my limits in extreme weather is part of my preparedness program. What is the extreme weather where you live? How do you prepare to survive in the elements in that weather? Have you ever built a quinzee? Please tell us about it in the comments section.
About Rowan
Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible.
