Snow Cave Building at Mt. Seymour

A snow cave is a shelter built in snow. One of the most important skills a winter sports enthusiast can have is to know how to build a snow cave. A snow cave heated with a candle from a survival kit will enable you spend the night in relative comfort.  It has thermal properties similar to an igloo and is particularly effective at providing protection from wind as well as low temperatures. A properly made snow cave can be 0 °C or warmer inside, even when outside temperatures are as low as -40 °C.

A snow cave is constructed by excavating snow such that the entrance tunnel enters below the main space to retain warm air. Construction is simplified by building it on a steep slope and digging slightly upwards and horizontally into the slope. The roof is domed to prevent dripping.

There are 4 main steps to building a snow cave:
1) Choosing a site 2) tunneling in 3) shaping the inside of the cave 4) adding finishing touches (like snow chairs, patio, fence and decorate greenery 😉 )

Not only is it a great survival skill to have, but it’s SO much fun to build a snow cave! It reminded me of when I was a kid playing in the snow 😀

Here some pics and a little video…