WHO NEEDS A TENT FOR WINTER CAMPING? 

Athabascan native trappers and hunters have built quinzhees (pronounced quin-zee) as hunting or winter survival shelters for hundreds of years. Warm and easy to build, they protect a camper from winter’s harshest elements far better than any tent.

What’s a quinzhee?

Basically, it’s a hollowed out pyramid of snow. There are two main ways to make a quinzhee, depending on whether it is an emergency shelter, or a cozy home for an enjoyable weekend camp. You can either make the snow pile yourself (the weekend camp), or look for a deep snow bank in the forest or in a ditch (the emergency shelter).

The secret to a quinzhee’s warmth is natural, thick insulation. There’s almost none better than snow. A camper can stay warm and snug in a quinzhee even when air temperatures plunge well below freezing.

In Ottawa’s climate, quinzhees are far more practical than igloos (which require special snow conditions and can be difficult to make). After a brief explanation, even a child can build a quinzhee. All it takes is a mound of snow, a shovel (or snowshoe), and several hours.
Start by looking for an area of flat terrain with no rocks, long grass or underbrush. These will weaken your structure and make construction difficult.

Dig a Hole, Fill It In

Clear the snow away from the spot you want to build the quinzhee. (Native people used their snowshoes.) Then, move the snow back into the area you’ve just cleared. Pile it into a mound at least two metres high and three or four metres in diameter – large enough for a two-person shelter.
“Hold on a minute,” you say. “I’m basically digging a hole then filling it back in?!”

That’s right. Most snow isn’t firm and compacted enough to make a safe shelter; so when the snow is tossed into a pile and given several hours to settle, its molecules recrystallize. This makes a firm, safe shelter.

Form the snow at the top of your structure into a slightly rounded shape. The arc will help support the snow’s weight, and prevent it from collapsing.
After several hours, start digging out the interior of your quinzhee by tunneling down to ground level, and then up into the snow dome. Dig on the lee side of the shelter, away from the wind, and make a small entrance hole. This will minimize drafts. (By digging down, then up you’re creating a low-lying well or sink of cold air.) Make sure the door is at a lower level than your floor. Again, this will keep the shelter warmer. If you can comfortably crawl through the door on hands and knees, your door is too big.

Dig out the interior carefully, leaving at least 30 cm of insulating snow on the floor. This bed of snow will make inside temperatures warmer than if you dug right down to the ground.

Arch the quinzhee’s inside roof so it is no higher than the space campers need to sit up. If you make the ceiling too high, all warm air will rise into the empty space above your head. In an emergency situation, make the quinzhee’s interior even lower to minimize heat loss, and angle the floor slightly upward where your head will be.

As you form the walls and arched ceiling, watch for bright spots in the snow. These indicate areas where the insulating cover is too thin. Try to make the wall and ceiling no less than 30 cm thick. This will ensure excellent insulation from outside winds and cold.
Some people push sticks 30 cm into the outside of the snow mound all over, making their quinzhee look like a hedgehog. When they’re hollowing out the inside and see the end of a stick, they know to stop digging.

Finish your quinzhee by poking one or two air holes (2 cm round) through opposite ends of the roof.

When hollowing out the quinzhee, kneel on something that is waterproof so your knees don’t get covered in snow that will melt later. Also make sure you don’t get any snow down your neck – always a rude and shocking surprise.

Don’t work so hard that you start sweating. Even when dry, sweat will cool you off and cause you to become cold.

Some people hollow out their quinzhee wearing very light clothes. (After all, you don’t need lots of layers when you’re giving your body a good physical workout. It will naturally heat up.) Then when they finish, they towel off and change into a dry, clean set of clothes.

Snug in any Temperature

Before rolling out sleeping bags inside your new home, lay a tarpaulin or plastic sheet over the snow floor. Put sleeping mats over this; a double thickness will increase your comfort.

The first time I slept in a quinzhee, the outside temperature plunged to -28 degrees C. I didn’t have a winter sleeping bag.

“No problem,” I thought. Instead, I stuffed one warm summer sleeping bag inside another one. This experiment proved a great theory that lacked practical application. I tossed around in my improvised winter sleeping bags all night, while my companion (snoring comfortably in a winter sleeping bag) slept soundly.  It was a long, cold night.

Find some object to block drafts from the entrance hole. A large backpack and a tarpaulin work well. Afraid of running out of fresh air in your quinzhee? As long as you have two small air holes, you should have more than enough. Your door is bound to leak some air, as will other invisible holes. Just be sure nothing is blocking your air holes.

Never cook inside a quinzhee. Firing up a stove and cooking builds up carbon dioxide and pollutes the air.

Once you’ve settled inside your quinzhee, it’s easy enough to raise the temperature by lighting one or two candles, or wax candle lanterns. They give off a surprising amount of heat. Even with outside temperatures bracketing -25 degrees C, a properly constructed quinzhee with two candles burning inside should be no colder than -3 degrees C. If you wear a toque and have a good hearty supper before bed, you can be cozy, comfortable and happy all night.

Avoid drinking liquids three hours before going to bed. It’s awful waking up in the middle of the night having to leave a warm sleeping bag to empty a full bladder. Also, just before heading to bed, go for a short hike – nothing strenuous, just enough exercise to stoke up your internal furnace. You’ll notice the remarkable difference it makes.

Customized Domiciles

Make your first quinzhee a very humble dwelling in your back yard – nothing elaborate. (A very basic one could consist of low pile of snow hollowed out.) Become familiar with the building techniques. Then, when your confidence has increased and winter camping skills are well honed, plan a wonderful outing in Gatineau Park during a snowy weekend. That’s when your more grandiose plans can take wing.

Some people make elaborate quinzhees, complete with several rooms (e.g. sleeping area, storage area, and even a partly open cooking shelter). These can take one or more entire days to construct. Try cutting shelves into the snow for boots, snowshoes, and packs. Hang a clothes line for wet mitts and socks. Dry winter air will take a lot of the moisture from the cloth.

Once settled inside a quinzhee, the first thing most people notice is the almost absolute silence. Even with a howling blizzard raging outside, the insulating snow of your quinzhee will probably erase all sound. It’s the perfect inducement for sleep. Pleasant dreams.

Quinzhee Cautions

• Never build a quinzhee beside a road or snowmobile trail where it might be mistaken as merely a pile of snow.
• Make sure you supervise children when they are making a quinzhee, and ensure no one walks on the walls when anyone is inside. Smoothing accidents can happen.
• Don’t make a quinzhee under a tree or other object that might deposit a load of snow unexpectedly on your shelter.

-- Allen Macartney is the Managing Editor of Ottawa Outdoors Magazine. He has canoed, kayaked, camped and backpacked all over Canada.