MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2020

40 words :: Carmen Kuntz It’s a cold, clear, −22°C winter night in Muskoka. I’m nine years old and about to spend the night under the starry night sky. But not directly under. My dad, sisters and I made a snow cave—a quinzhee—earlier in the day. The fire is low, and it’s time to climb in and fall asleep. This isn’t a survival scenario, or some kind of experiment. And it’s not my first time overnighting in the snowy forest. Quinzhee camping is a family tradition, and the highlight of my childhood winters. The word “quinzhee” (pronounced kw ɪ nzi ) comes from the Athabaskan First Nations language. A quinzhee is not an igloo, which is a semi-permanent snow shelter historically used as a seasonal dwelling. A quinzhee is a temporary, simple-to-build shelter that does not require specific snow quality. It is an instrument of survival, constructed by piling snow in a dome shape and letting it settle before hollowing out a sleeping area inside. As kids we would make quinzhees as after-school snow forts, and other times for sleepovers with friends. With guidance from dad, we became competent snow engineers and started teaching our friends. Without knowing it, we were sharing a survival tip for anyone who plays outdoors in winter. LOCATION. Find a flat area 6-8ft wide with ample snow and without trees or large rocks. It is not necessary for the snow to be fresh, just abundant. And air temperature should be colder than −4°C. SNOW. Survival situations may require creativity, but when camping, a shovel is key. The insulation properties and structure strength of a quinzhee comes from air pockets in the snow. This loft insulates just like a puffy down sleeping bag. More loft, more insulation. Use shovels to break up and mix snow chunks prior to heaping them on. Don’t pack it down, just toss it on lightly. For two or three people the dome’s base should be about 10-12ft in diameter and about 6-10ft high. SETUP. Before hollowing it out, allow at least two to three hours for the mound to set. Overnight is ideal. This waiting time is key for the structure to harden or “sinter”, a process where snow crystals bond with each other as the temperature and moisture homogenize. Tip: gather small, ruler-length sticks and push them into the walls to use as thickness guides when digging out. Hit a stick with your shovel, stop digging. Ensure the walls are thicker at the base, about two feet. DIG. Make the entrance carefully, positioning it away from the prevailing wind. A smaller door means less heat escape, but it should be big enough to crawl through without damaging the edges. Excavation is the most time-consuming part of quinzhee construction. Tip: wear a hood, water-repellent snowpants and a headlamp. Smooth the ceiling and leave a raised area for sleeping so cold air from the door stays lower than sleeping bodies. Poke some small air holes for circulation. SLEEP. Loosely block the entrance using a few backpacks but be sure to allow lots of space for air flow. Quinzhee walls do not breathe. The temperature inside depends on exterior weather, size of quinzhee and number of people, but it’s not unlikely for the temperature to reach 20°C inside. CAUTION. Quinzhees can be dangerous if they cave in. Build prototypes before overnighting in one and only sleep in it within a few days of construction. Collapses usually happen during the excavation process or after rain or warm weather. Our only quinzhee cave-ins were from jumping on the half-melted shells in the spring. My childhood winters were spent tobogganing, skiing, snowshoeing and generally tramping through the snow. Safety and survival never crossed our minds. But my parents appreciated knowing we could build an emergency shelter if we ever got lost or stuck in a storm. Making a quinzhee can prepare kids—and adults—for basic winter survival. Crawling out in the morning was always a shock: going from the complete darkness of a cave to a sparkling white world of fresh snowfall. Another day of winter exploration awaited us. But first, we would trudge to the house for a warm breakfast. SNOWPILE SAVIOUR How to build a quinzhee, for kicks and survival HOW TO