The wilderness survival guide

Artic shelters

In polar areas simple shelters will be those already waiting for you in natural caves and hollows.

If you carry some kind of bivouac in your equipment, you can erect it and increase its protection by piling up loose snow around and over it, so long as it can support the weight. But to build in hard snow and at very low temperatures snow will be solid you need some kind of implement to cut into it or make blocks from it . Spades and ice saws are essential equipment for polar expeditions.
Snow or rock caves will be easily recognizable but not so obvious are the spaces left beneath the spreading boughs of conifers in the northen forrests when the snow has already built up around them. A medium sized tree may have a space right around the trunk or a large tree have pockets in the snow beneath a branch. Try digging under any tree with spreading branches on the lee side.

Snow house (Igloo)

An igloo takes time to costruct but centuries of use by the Eskimo demonstrate efficiency. Build the main shelter first and then dig out an entrance or build an entry tunnel which is big enough to crawl along. Make sure that its entrance does not face the wind You could bend the tunnel or build a wind break to make this less likely.

• Mark out a circle on the ground about 4m (13 1/2 ft) in diameter and tramp it down to consolidate the floor as you proceed with the rest of the building.
• Cut and lay a circle of blocks on the parimeter. Build up more layers but place each only halfway over the lower tier, so that the igloo tapers in o r b ecomes dome shaped.
• Shape out the entrance arch as you proceed. Seal the top with a flat block.
• Make ventiltion holes near the top and near the bottom (not on the side of the prevailing wind or so low that snow rapidly builds up and blocks it).
• Fill any other gaps with snow.
• Smooth off all the inside to remove any drip-points. T his will allow any condensation to run down the wall instead of dripping off .

Tree pit snow shelter

If you are in a cold, snow-covered area where evergreen trees gr

ow and you have a digging tool, you can make a tree-pit shelter. To make this shelter, you should—

• Find a tree with bushy branches that provides overhead cover.
• Dig out the snow around the tree trunk until you reach the depth and diameter you desire, or until you reach the ground.
• Pack the snow around the top and the inside of the hole to provide support.
• Find and cut other evergreen boughs. Place them over the top of the pit to give you additional overhead cover. Place evergreen boughs in the bottom of the pit for insulation.

Snow trench

This is a much quicker shelter to construct than trying to build in snow above the ground, but it is suitable for only one person and then only for short term use- while you are on the move or making something bigger, for example.

• Mark out an area the size of a sleeping bag (including head support) and cut out blocks the whole width of the trench. Dig down to a depth of at least 60cm (2ft).
• Along the top of the sides of the trench cut a ledge about 15cm (6in) wide and the same deep.
• Rest the snow bricks on each side of the ledge and lean them in against each other to form a roof. Put equipment below your sleeping bag so that you are not in direct contact with the snow beneath.

Snow cave

• Dig into a drift of firm snow to make a comfortable shelter.
• Make use of the fact that hot air rises and heavier, cold air sinks.
• Create three levels inside: build a fire on the highest, sleep on the centre one and keep off the lower level which will trap the cold.
• Drive a hole through the roof to let out smoke and make another hole to ensure that you adequate ventilation.
• Use a block of snow as a door and keep it loose fitting and on the INSIDE so that it will not freezeup and jam. If it does, a block on the inside will be easier to free.

Living in a snow house

• In bad weather make sure that you have a good suply of timber, or liquid fuel, inside the shelter.
• Do not carry loose snow into the shelter, knock it off boots and clothing before you enter.
• Mark the entrance clearly so that its easily found.
• Keep shovels and tools inside the sheter- you may have to dig yourself out.
• Drips in igloos can be stopped by placing a piece of snow on the source.
• Relieve yourself inside the shelter- this is usual practice in these conditions and conserves body heat.
• Use plastic bags, ration tins or other containers and empty when possible.
• Try to discipline the bowls to work just prior to leaving the shelter in the morning and then remove refuse with other rubbish accumulated.