Safety Week: Winter Survival Skills

The mountains are an unforgiving place - especially in the winter. Any number of tiny mishaps can turn into a much bigger problem once the sun goes down and temperatures drop, so being prepared to spend a night out before outside help comes is something TGR athletes and crews practice every year at our annual International Pro Rider Workshop (IPRW). Whether it's something as simple as a lost ski or broken snowmobile, or a major injury that requires an evacuation, any outdoor incident is greatly compounded with the onset of inclement weather. This year, we learned about and practiced several basic techniques to keep ourselves and an injured buddy survivably warm and relatively comfortable for a night out in the elements. Getting out of the wind and precipitation, especially at night, is crucial to staying warm. Snow is an excellent insulator - the interior of snow caves or other well-built shelters can be well above freezing - and building a slow-burning fire promptly will make all the difference.

Following an accident or mishap in the mountains, of course our first priority is calling for outside help - but that can often be delayed due to incoming weather or simply by nightfall. That's why we always carry some sort of survival kit among the crew - the exact contents will differ depending on the mission and size of the group. Alongside a first aid kit's medical supplies, a basic survival kit contains material to start and sustain a fire, extra insulated layers, some sort of saw, headlamps, and a multi-use rescue tarp.

The type of shelter you should construct depends on your surroundings, the tools you have at hand, and the size of your group. Since we operate in a variety of environments, from dense forest to the high alpine, knowing a few different ways to stay warm and protected overnight can save your and your partner's lives when things go south.

THE TARPED SNOW TRENCH

A multi-use nylon rescue tarp is one of the most useful pieces of equipment we can carry. Besides being able to package and transport an injured member of your party, the tarp can be used to create a variety of shelters. Use two ski poles to create a tent on flat dry ground, use it as a lean-to against a root ball or rock wall, or use it as a roof for trench-style snow cave shelter. The tarp packs down to the size of a water bottle, and can live in your pack all season long.

To construct the trench shelter, find an area of relatively flat and deep snow about 12 by 12 feet wide (12 feet=roughly two ski lengths). For this type of shelter to work well, the snowpack must be 3-4 feet deep at a minimum. Pack the surface snow down as best you can by walking on it with skis. Then, dig a two-foot-wide, seven-foot-long trench in the middle. This should be about three feet deep. Slightly dig out the sidewalls to create a shallow cave on both sides of the trench. Now, lay your skis across the roof of the trench and lay the tarp on top of your skis. Firmly anchor the four tarp corners with ski poles. Covering the edges with snow will help seal the roof. A small space might initially feel cramped and uncomfortable, but the smaller the volume, the faster it will heat up once you crawl inside. Cover the entrance with a pack, and remember to bring a shovel inside to dig yourself in the event of heavy additional snowfall. Make sure you have some sort of air vent.

THE FOREST LEAN-TO

We spend a lot of time filming at or below treeline in the many locations we've been to over the years. Whether it's riding powder alleys and pillow lines in the old-growth forests of BC, or snowmobiling through lower elevation forests to access the alpine, there's a good likelihood that you might need to spend the night in the woods if something goes wrong. The good news is that the forest offers ample protection from the elements, and plenty of fuel to build and sustain a warm fire.

This year at IPRW, the team practiced building improvised group shelters in the woods and learned a few key things to make a night out as comfortable as possible. First off, split up the group to tag-team different jobs like gathering firewood, gathering shelter materials, and actually building the shelter. Do a quick search of your surroundings to look for features that might already provide shelter on their own (like root balls from fallen trees, dense tree clusters with a hollow, or even some sort of natural cave), so you can simply improve upon what mother nature already provided.

Carrying a saw (a snow saw will work) as part of your survival kit will make it much easier to find wood to fuel a fire and construct the shelter. Designate a portion of your group to collect as much firewood and structural wood as possible as soon as you determine you will need to spend the night, while the rest of the team can start prepping to build the shelter. Gathering wood while there's still daylight is much easier than when it's dark out. Pile your firewood in an easily accessible place, and sort it by size.

Using natural features like a root ball, rock wall, or tree cluster will make constructing a shelter much easier. The more walls already exist, the quicker to construct, and likely warmer, the shelter will be. Use tree trunks or large branches to create a lean-to shelter by leaning them against the existing wall. Depending on the size of the group, it can be nice to make the roof tall enough to be able to stand up inside. Use pine boughs or your rescue tarp to create the roof, and begin piling snow on top to insulate it. Laying down pine boughs on the ground inside will keep it dryer and warmer for sitting and even sleeping.

Take care where you build your fire. Having a small, controlled fire inside the shelter can make it nice and toasty inside, but be sure you have two exits and a way to prevent the fire from burning the structure down. To be safe, place the fire just outside one entrance - body heat from the group and radiant heat from the fire will warm up the shelter to a comfortable temperature.

THE QUINZEE SNOW SHELTER

This third type of shelter takes the longest to construct, but works best in deep snow and can shelter a larger group. It's also the warmest shelter even without a fire. The Quinzee hut is basically a cross between a snow cave and an igloo, built on the snow surface by hollowing out a large pile of sintered snow.

Start by creating a large mound of snow at least seven to eight feet high. Once you have the pile built up, begin walking all over it with skis on to help pack it in. As the snow packs and begins to settle, keep adding more, then re-packing it. Once the pile is built up, let it sit for at least 90 minutes to allow the snow to sinter, or harden. Go gather firewood and build a fire nearby in the meantime.

Once the snow has sintered, dig a small tunnel entrance on the downhill side and begin to hollow out the interior. Smooth out the walls and ceiling to allow meltwater and condensation to run down the outside and not drip. Take care to not hollow out the mound too much - the walls should remain one to two feet thick. Poking measuring sticks like your ski poles or branches through from the outside of the mound will help you know when to stop hollowing out the inside when you see the ends of the sticks.

Inside, dig to the ground if you can, but leave approximately the last foot of snow to make elevated snow beds along the sides. Digging a cold sink near the entrance or in the middle will allow cold air to flow down and out of the shelter. Don't forget to poke a small ventilation hole near the top of the dome, especially if you will have an open flame from a stove or candle inside. Like with any snow shelter, always bring a shovel inside with you in case the structure collapses with you inside.