Snow caves

squibble

squibble

Active member
do you have any experience with snow caves, like how to build one? how long can they last (like a day, a week, a month,,,)? and do how long does it take to make a really nice one for three people
 
i know when i was experimenting with various mountain maneouvers in washinton state, we were camping in the winter envrinment and we slept one night in a cave . The guide we were with said it was pretty old, but well built. So i think they can last for a very long time (weeks) if there is no new snow to cover or casue cave in, and if its built riht.. Dont really have a clue on how to build.. I'd assume its just like hollowing out snow
 
for a snow cave, with three people digging and stuff, it shouldnt take too long. make sure everything is solid so it doesnt collapse, and make sure there are air vents (not many, just enough to keep some circulation) and bring something as insulation, like a thermarest.

its better to have the entrance low and then crawl up to the sleep area, it keeps the warm in and the weather and cold out
 
I just dug the monster snowcave of all snowcaves a few weeks ago. depending on temp they can last all winter. and depending how deep in the snowpack you dig it. There are plenty of resources on how to construct one.

Key points

1. Dig the cave in a dome shape, it is the strongest

2.They usually only collapse late spring or while you are digging, don't have everyone in the cave digging at the same time

3. Dig the tunnel entrance's roof lower than the floor that you will sleep on, it creates a heat/wind trap

4.I think its easiest to start digging the tunnel with one person and the other person stand on top of the center of where you expect your main room to be, the person on top will dig straight down and carve out a cave while the other person digs the entrance to connect to it. It makes snow removal much easier. Once you are done digging straight down and doming it out, cover the hole in the roof with sticks and logs and then cut blocks of snow to put on top of the sticks, it will settle and refreeze to be rockhard within an hour, by the next few storms it will be bombproof.

5. Invest in a snowsaw they are soooo money.
 
Don't make it too big cause it may collapse (we had an iccident once with a huge cave that collapsed, but it was not my cave but we had to rescue people).

Start by digging a hole straight down that is about 5 feet x 5 feet. This will be where you store your stuff (when in the cave cover this area with a tarp, it prevents snow from getting your stuff and stops wind from getting into the cave)

The dig into the slope from the bottom of that hole. Make a 2.5 foot high entrance so it also helps to prevent wind from getting in.

Make the cave about 10 feet long (front to back), 6 feet wide and about 4 feet tall. That will fit 3 people perfectly. Make it rounded because that makes water run down the sides instead of dripping.

The dig little holes with flat bottoms into the walls of the cave so you can put candles around. And cook your meals outside of the cave in the hole where you have stored your stuff. If you are using a stove inside it will trap Carbon Dioxide in the cave and you will DIE!!

So...there you go.
 
I've had some experiences without adequate ventilation and cooking. Just dig a hole in the wall near your roof and build a chimney all the way up. When you are done cooking just cut a block of snow and plug the hole, it will kill the wind instantly.

p.s before you goto bed, boil water, fill your nalgene bottle wit the boiling water, cap it off. Wrap the bottle in a shirt and put the bottle right on your femoral atery (right inbetween your legs next to your balls) It will amaze you and stay hot for hours (long enough to fall asleep) this is a godsend.
 
snow_cave2.jpg
 
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