Makeshift habitats can help you survive a crisis during the coldest months of the year.
Tim MacWelchMarc Wieland/UnsplashIn a winter wilderness emergency, there’s no question that finding or building shelter is going to be your top priority . In the bone-aching cold, hypothermia can begin to take hold within minutes, and in severe weather conditions, the cold can be fatal within a few hours if there isn’t some type of shelter defense from the elements.
A snow cave may be the only shelter option in areas with deep snow. This is typically the most dangerous shelter to create, as the inhabitants could suffer from low oxygen or even be buried alive if the ceiling collapses. That’s why snow selection is so critical. Select a deep, solid snow bank or drift. Dig into the side of it and form a tunnel into a low spot. This is the “cold well,” which is a place where the coldest air can fall and collect.
The quinzhee is a dome-shaped snow shelter, similar in shape to an igloo, but much easier to construct. Snow must be just right to build an igloo, while you can pack together most types of snow for a quinzhee. To build one, start by piling up some moveable gear, like backpacks, under a tarp. Then pile snow over the tarp and gear. Pack the snow down until it’s about 2 feet thick all the way around. Next, insert three- or four-dozen 12-inch-long sticks around the dome.
While this is not a shelter by itself, a thick bough bed makes an outstanding addition to any type of shelter large enough to accommodate it. To make a bough bed, you can use leaves, grass, evergreen boughs, or other plant material for insulation. Cedar and pine boughs are common enough in many places, but fir boughs make the softest bed. Spruce can be the least-comfortable evergreen bough, since the needles are so sharp. Start building by creating a bed frame.
The leaf hut is a two-sided, wedge-shaped lean-to, with much better weatherproofing and insulating qualities. To build one, select a long, sturdy pole 9 to 12 feet long. Prop it up in the fork of a tree or set it on a rock, stump or two forked prop sticks. Then cover the sides of the pole with tree branches to act as ribs. Place the branches close together at an angle along both sides of the ridge pole so your hut covering won’t fall through. Next, pile vegetation over the framework.
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