Make a snow trench shelter
Find a flat sheltered spot for your shelter.
Don't go too close to trees or big rocks since
blowing snow tends to accumulate around
them. Dig a hole in the snow, about a
foot longer than your body and about 3 feet wide,
use the snow from the dig to build walls
around the hole. Try to get one of the short sides
downwind. Keep digging until the hole is 3 ft
from floor to upper edge. Keep in mind that the
smaller your shelter is the warmer it will
be. Leave a 1.5x1.5 ft opening in the downwind
upper short edge with a connecting corridor as in
the picture, this will be your door. If you
plan to use a stove in the shelter you must also
make a vent opening in the side opposite to the
door. This opening should be about 6x6
inches. If possible, try to make a block of
hard snow 1.5x1.5x0.5 ft to use as a door block,
place this block inside the hole when you're
done. 
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Cover half of
the floor on the opposite side of the opening with
soft branches to provide extra insulation from the cold snow beneath. This
will be your sleeping area, you will later cover
the branches with your sleeping pad. If
you don't have a sleeping pad with you, make a
thicker layer of branches. If it is snowing
while you are building your shelter, you can
do this step later, after the roof has
been put up so you won't get snow
on your branches. The sleeping area should be higher up
than the floor since the air is a bit warmer higher
up.
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Place a number of tree branches
over the hole as in the picture. Keep in mind that
these branches may have to carry some heavy snow
loads. You can use skis and ski poles for this
purpose as well but keep in mind that you won't be
able to use them again without ruining the
shelter.
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Cover the hole with your tarp.
Attach edges and corners as well as possible with
stakes made from tree branches or string to a
nearby tree. Don't rely on weights such as rocks
or big chunks of wood, they will start sliding.
You want to make sure that there's no way that the
tarp will start sagging or slip down through the
openings in the ceiling. Cover the tarp with a
layer of snow for insulation. If there is powder
snow available try to get a coverage of at
least 3 inches. If there is no powder use wet snow
or hard snow to make blocks 1.5" thick to form a
sheet on top of the tarp, try to rest the blocks
on the support poles and not on the tarp. If it is
snowing heavily you can let nature take care of
this step. |
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Move in to the shelter. Put your
sleeping pad on the branches and sleep with your
head away from the door. You can block the door
opening to keep warm but you must have at
least two small air vents on opposite sides of the
shelter to ensure an adequate air
supply. |
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SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN
MIND When you're using a stove in the
shelter you must open both the door opening and
the vent opening. Make sure that the vent opening
is kept clear from falling snow on the outside,
poke around with a stick periodically if
needed. If you need to urinate during the
night, don't go outside in the cold. Just go on
the floor inside the shelter. The urine will seep
down through the snow, there will be a stained
crater left but you can just cover that with some
snow. |
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