A quinzhee or quinzee is a shelter made by hollowing out a pile of settled snow. This is in contrast to an igloo, which is made from blocks of snow.
Contents |
Uses
For fun, or for winter camping and survival purposes, it is possible to construct a snow shelter by creating a large pile of snow and excavating the inside.
Quinzhee vs. Igloo
The snow for a quinzhee need not be of the same quality as required for an igloo, and the construction is more forgiving. Such shelters are usually not as sturdy and permanent as proper igloos.
Construction
To begin a quinhee, one must locate a realitivly flat area with plenty of snow around. It is important to NOT use snow that has already been piled (i.e. snow drift) with out first breaking it up. This is done to prevent a situation where there are two different levels of setness which can cause collapes during excavations. One must then pile snow to its desired hieght (typcially 6 - 10 feet). It is worth noting that overly large quinzhees are not desirable as all of the heat within them rises to the top. Quinzhees are not typically built so one can stand in them. The resident should be able to comfortably sit up inside while perhaps being able to croutch. One should also make an attempt to make a pile of snow infront of the quinzhee about four feet in length which will serve as a tunnel to gain access to the structure. After pileing the snow one must leave the site for up to several hours while the snow sinters to a point that it is hard enough to excavate. Before excavating one can put sticks in the roof and wall approximately 10 in (25 cm) deep to be used as a guide when digging out the interior. After this is completed one digs until they reach the sticks.
Misconceptions
There is a common misconception about quinzhees that inorder to make them more robust, one should pour water over it. The logic behind this is that it will harder and sturdier; furthermore its slipperiness discourages anyone from climbing on top of it. However, by doing so one ruins much of the insolation that the snow provides as ice is not nearly as well suited to insolating as snow is. Also, this practices is rarley even possible when built for survival due to the absence of water
Dangers
People climbing on the house are the primary reason why quinzhees collapse, a collapsing quinzhee can be very dangerous if someone gets caught inside. Just as in an avalanche the weight of the snow often makes it impossible to dig oneself free. Suffocation may occur if the occupants are not rescued quickly enough. In addition to this, many quinzhees collapes during their construction for a variety of reasons including poor snow conitions, warm weather, or failure to let the snow set long enough. To protect ones self against collapse during construction, one should only ever dig a qunizhee while on their knees, never their back. In the event of collapse, one stands a much better chance at digging them self out if they are on their knees. Quinzhees should only be constucted alone in survival situations
See also
External links
- How to Build Winter Shelters and Survive
- Picture of a Quinzhee
