Winter Survival

Winter Survival is a full day field trip where students will be challenged to complete tasks in a winter survival scenario. Students will learn the basics of shelter building, fire lighting, ground-to-air rescue signals, and how to stabilize and transport a casualty.

The class should be divided into groups of 5 – 6 students. Each group will need to bring:

Shovels, for building survival shelters (tarps and rope if not enough snow)

Toboggan

Blanket

4-6 triangular bandages, towels, scarves, etc. for bandaging

Small pot or coffee can to melt snow in

Dryer lint for starting fires

Lunch

Prior to the field trip students should learn about different types of winter shelters, how to build a fire, how to create a ground-to-air signal and some basic first aid for broken bones, burns, major bleeding and hypothermia and frostbite. They should also have some time within their groups to plan their meal.

Winter Survival Challenge

Team______

Injury Treatment12345

Transport12345

Shelter12345

Signal12345

Firestarting 12345

Drink Making12345

Overall

Inter-Group Skills0510

Communication0510

Problem Solving101520

Teamwork102030

Total ___

100

Snow Shelters

Purpose:

To learn to build different types of snow shelters that can be used in an emergency situation, or just for fun.

Background:

A snow shelter is an excellent way to sleep outdoors in winter and be warm and secure. Here are a few points to consider:

  • A dome shape gives structural stability to a snow shelter.
  • Thick walls provide maximum insulation.
  • A vent hole allows excess moist air to escape and good oxygen circulation.
  • Smooth interior walls prevent drip points.
  • A raised sleeping platform takes advantage of warmer air higher up.
  • A small, low entrance hole prevents loss of warm air.
  • The entrance hole positioned perpendicular to prevailing wind is protected from direct drafts and excessive drifting.
  • One lighted candle can increase the air temperature in a small cave by as much as 20 degrees or more. Caution: do not let candles or a stove burn all night as this might deplete the oxygen.

Sleeping in a Snow Shelter:

  • Your sleeping bag will absorb several hundred calories’ worth of body heat during the first few hours of the night to bring it up to sleeping temperature. Do jumping jacks or take a hike before bed, anything to raise your core body temperature to start the night warm.
  • Use two sleeping pads under your sleeping bag. A self-inflating foam mattress together with a closed-cell foam pad makes a warm, comfortable combination.
  • Sleep on top of your parka and insulated pants. Put your gloves, socks, boot liners, and tomorrow’s clothes inside the sleeping bag.
  • Change into dry clothes and a dry pair of socks before bed and wear warm, loose-fitting layers. Always wear a hat. Booties or felt liners worn with clean, dry socks help keep feet cozy.
  • Slip a hot water bottle inside your bag, but be sure the lid is tight.
  • When nature calls, don’t hold it. Keeping fluid at body temperature uses up energy better spent warming your body. Having a bottle nearby can save you a nippy trip outside of the shelter.
  • Be careful not to breathe inside your bag. Humid breath can lead to frost buildup.
  • If you don’t have a winter sleeping bag, two lighter weight sleeping bags may be used in layers. A liner can also improve the warmth of a sleeping bag. If you are in an established site where straw is available, a layer of straw under a tarp will increase the insulation to reduce conductive heat loss.
  • Have a good evening meal before retiring to your shelter. It should consist of a mix of complex carbohydrates, protein and a healthy dose of fat, perhaps in the form of cheese, nuts, oil, butter or meat. Keep a bag of trail mix handy. If you wake up cold, eat a few handfuls of trail mix, and within 15 or 20 minutes, you’ll feel yourself beginning to warm up!

Activity #1:QuinzheeBuilding

The quinzhee (pronounced kwin-zee) is a simple snow shelter made by heaping snow into a large pile and hollowing out the interior. The snow holds together due to differences in the temperature and shape of snow crystals in the different layers of undisturbed snow on the ground. As you pile the snow, it is mixed and then recrystallized. After several hours of settling, the snow “cements” in a pile, which can then be hollowed out to make a shelter. The colder the air temperature, the greater the temperature variation in the snow. This condition promotes more recrystallization and better cementing of snow particles.

To build a quinzhee you will need a shovel, bucket, pot or anything else that can be used to scoop up snow and toss it into a pile. Your own two hands will do in a pinch. You will also need several sticks about 30 cm (1 ft) long.

Choose a site where the snow has not been disturbed. Trample down or clear snow from a circular area about 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 ft) in diameter. Pile loose snow onto this area to make a dome-shaped mound about 2 metres (6 to 7 ft) high. Make sure the snow gets thoroughly mixed by stirring it around occasionally or flinging it well into the air as you pile it. Break all blocks into fine powder and avoid any icy layers.

The sticks serve as depth gauges in the walls of the quinzhee so that during the hollowing out process you leave sufficient thickness for adequate insulation (at least 30 cm or 12 inches). Push the sticks in the dome so that 30 cm or 12 inches is pushed in the snow. Space them evenly across the surface.

Leave the mound at least 2 to 3 hours to harden. Then, with a bowl or small shovel begin burrowing a small entrance in the pile at ground level. Keep the entrance just big enough for one person to crawl in. Start to hollow out overhead as soon as possible, leaving the floor to the last. When you encounter sticks you will know to stop burrowing in that particular direction. Teams of two seem to work well for the hollowing out stage. One digs out the hardened snow and the second tosses it outside the mouth of the tunnel. Snow will fall on you as you dig out the roof above, so you have to remember to keep brushing it off so it doesn’t melt and make you wet. Make frequent changes of diggers to keep everyone drier.

Note:A way to do the whole process faster is to pile up a bunch of gear (backpacks, etc.) and then pile the snow on top of the gear. When you dig into the pile, you’ll pull out the gear, leaving an open space there and requiring less overall snow throwing.

In a quinzhee, the sleeping platform must be built above the level of the entrance. If you are planning to spend the night inside or are leaving the quinzhee for some time, you should block the entrance with a block of snow or some other flat object. Finishing touches on a quinzhee include smoothing the interior walls and poking a small vent hole about 7 – 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) in diameter in the wall opposite the door. Check the ventilation holes frequently as they might be blocked with snow and the carbon monoxide and humidity cannot escape. At least two holes are required, one at the top, to let air escape, and one near the ground to let in fresh air.

A well-built quinzhee will last an entire winter.

Activity #2:IglooBuilding

Snow Blocks

Good snow blocks are essential for snow construction. Find firm snow that will hold your weight when standing on it. Try to avoid snow with dirt, stones or ice in it. Begin by cutting two parallel lines about 60 cm (2 ft) apart. Be sure to cut deep enough by penetrating the snow right up to the handle of your snow saw.

Remove the first small block and discard it (the triangle shaped one). Now you can cut the back and bottom of the block. Note: You must cut all sides of the block to free it from the snow bank. Good building blocks should be at least 30 cm x 60 cm x 45 cm (1 ft x 2 ft x 1.5 ft). With good snow blocks that are not too thin, you can build nearly anything.

IglooBuilding Plans

Make a circle in the snow 2 m (6 ft) in diameter. Using hard snow, cut blocks as described above. Place the blocks in a circle, then trim the first few to form a spiral ramp.

As the next ring of blocks is laid, tilt each block inward slightly to narrow the circle. These blocks should have trimmed contact points at the ends to help position them. Continue spiraling upward creating the dome, which prevents the walls from caving in. As you lay blocks, leave the tops uneven until you have laid a full spiral. Then take your snow saw and trim the tops by pointing the saw to an imaginary point on the center of the igloo floor.

When your walls are 1 m to 1.5 m (3 ft to 4 ft) high, cut an entry hole to slide blocks inside. The direction of the door should be perpendicular to the wind. The final keystone block is wedge or cone shaped. Push the block up from inside, tipping it on its side and then fitting it down.

Now make a low arch entranceway to crawl inside. Make the entrance about 1’ lower than the igloo floor to create a cold trap. Finally, make a small vent hole in the roof and door if you are closing the entranceway.

Activity #3:SnowCave

Anywhere the snow pack is sufficiently deep (at least 3m or 9 ft) you can probably build a snow cave. The snow should be solid enough so that it does not collapse as you dig. Sometimes a steep embankment will have plenty of snow at the bottom. Dig into the side of a snow bank rather than into the front, where the snow deposits. Also, be careful not to dig in at the bottom of an avalanche slope.

Start low on the snow drift and dig a hole straight in about 1 m (3 ft) in diameter. Dig up at about a 45 degree angle for another meter (3 ft), then dig straight in again and start enlarging the area in front of you. Poke 50 cm (1.5 ft) long sticks into the outside of the snow mound. That way when you’re digging it out, you can tell when the roof is half a meter (1.5 ft ) thick. The thicker the walls the more stable the structure and the better it will insulate.

Angling up at 45° before you dig inward will make your sleeping platform higher than the air inlet, so you will be in the higher, warmer air. Dig out enough to make a shelf for your waterproof ground cloth, foam pad and sleeping bag. If necessary, you can create a wide enough area for two or more people.

Form an inner dome by carving the snow overhead. This will give the snow cave needed strength. Smooth the overhead snow dome as well as you can to prevent dripping. Initial shaping can be done with a shovel to do the bulk of the work. Final shaping is best done with a gloved hand. Make a hole in the roof about 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) in diameter with a stick or ski pole for ventilation. This helps to eliminate carbon monoxide from stoves or candles that are used, or from your own breathing. Check the vent hole at regular intervals to prevent it from becoming clogged. Leaving a stick or ski pole in the hole is a good idea. To clear the vent hole just wiggle the inserted object. You can carve a few small shelves for items you want to keep handy.

On occasion during the construction of a snow cave, especially in granular snow, a collapse can occur. It is a good practice to build caves in teams of two. During the construction, one person should always remain on the outside. In case of a collapse the outside person can then rescue the person digging. It is uncommon for a snow cave to collapse after construction, especially after the temperatures drop at night. The cold temperatures tend to increase the overall strength of the shelter.

The ceiling of a snow cave can drop as much as 3 to 5 cm (1-2 inches) per day. This occurs because of normal settling of the snow pack. During a heavy storm the settling can increase drastically. When this occurs just reshape the inside of the cave. Always keep your shovel or digging device next to you in a snow cave.

The smaller the snow cave, the warmer it will be. Larger caves with interconnecting chambers are for fun times. Caves just large enough to hold its occupants huddled together are the most appropriate for emergencies. The snow cave is most comfortable during extreme cold. It will be humid and drippy when there is too much heat or it is warm outside.

Activity #4:Snow Trench

The snow trench is the simplest and quickest type of snow shelter to build. An advantage of the snow trench design is that you have minimal body contact with snow during construction, and therefore stand far less chance of getting wet building this than any other type of shelter. A disadvantage of the snow trench is that it is very cramped, and will become damp as compared to other snow shelters.

To construct a snow trench you need deep snow, at least 1 metre (3 ft) deep, with some firmness. You should have a shovel, and a snow saw or snow knife. Cut a trench the width of the sleeping bag and length of the occupant. Pile the snow blocks on the side of the trench. The blocks should be 20 to 30 cm thick (8 to 12 inches), these will be used to construct a peaked roof. If the snow is not good for making blocks, a lattice of sticks, boughs, skis, ski poles, or snowshoes can serve as a frame for a flat roof, which can then be covered with snow.

A triangular key block is placed vertically at the foot end of the trench. This will serve as the end support of the roof. The roof blocks are angle trimmed so that the tops meet at a point. The first roof block is a half block in width so that the joint lines of the other blocks do not meet, as this would produce a weakness in the roof.

Line the bottom of the shelter with material to insulate you from the cold ground (in an emergency you can use evergreen boughs). A ventilation hole must be poked into the roof for air flow. Keeping a stick in this hole and shaking it every so often will keep the hole open. If possible, the entrance should be lower than the level of the trench, this keeps the coldest air in the entrance rather than in the trench.

Resources:

RCAFSurvivalTraining School Staff. Down But Not Out. Minister of Supply and

Services Canada, Ottawa. 1976.

Tawrell, Paul. Camping and Wilderness Survival. Paul Tawrell, GreenValley,

Ontario. 1996.

Alford, Montague. Winter Wise: Travel and Survival in ice and Snow. Heritage

House. Surrey, B.C. 1999.


Winter Cooking

Preparation and Meal Planning

Group Planning:

  • check for food allergies (particularly nuts)
  • discuss what cooking equipment is required
  • select an appropriate menu with high energy nutritional snacks
  • plan for more than you would normally eat
  • pre-mix and pre-cook food items
  • package food in re-useable, containers and include simple cooking directions
  • plan for plenty of liquids - water is important
  • plan to create as little garbage as possible -each student will be responsible for their own garbage
  • do not cook with tin foil
Cooking Methods

Food will be cooked on open wood fires. Be sure to cook over coals, not flames. Your food will cook slowly without burning. The fire will provide a source of heat for cooking as well as warmth for the group. Remember: No Tin Foil Cooking!!!

Pots, Pans, Woks

These can be put directly on to the coals of the fire to cook lunch. Large coffee cans with wire handles can also be used as pots.

Sandwich or Bush Pie Irons

These individual grills make delicious cheese sandwiches, mini pizzas, and fruit pies quickly and efficiently.

Cleaning Up the Cooking Site

  • Be aware of the harm to animals that even the smallest piece of litter could cause
  • Don’t put drink boxes, foil or cans in the fire to burn. Take it out as garbage.
  • Pack everything out. Make sure all food scraps, garbage, utensils, etc. are collected, put in garbage bags and packed back home.
  • Leave the cooking area as clean as possible for the next group.
Fire Building

Fire Starters

Fire starters are an essential item for a winter trip and can be made as a class project, or students can make them at home. The following are some effective and inexpensive fire starters:

  • cardboard egg carton filled with wood or pencil sharpener shavings or dryer lint in each cup, then covered with melted paraffin wax. Break off one or two for each fire.
  • rolled newspaper strips, 10 - 15 cm. wide, tied with string and dipped in paraffin wax

Fire Wood