by Steve Nicolini
Quinzees are great group shelters to build for fun, though more importantly, they can be built in twoshakes of a muskox tail to keep winter backpackers from freezing to death! The word "quinzee" comes from the indigenouspeoples of Alaska and Northern Canada. This makes sense because these people lived their whole lives insnow.
The materials required for building this kind of snow shelter are few butimportant. Winter clothing is an obviousrequirement. You will also need a snowshovel or a sturdy snowshoe for piling up the snow. When the quinzee construction is complete,you will need a sleeping bag and a pad (vegetation can substituted for the pad).
Quinzee: How to BuildThe first step is to make a big dome-shaped pile of snow. You want to make this pile about as high as atall person. The total length at thebase of the pile should be about four feet longer than the tallest person the shelter will house. Be sure that the top of the pile is domed (rounded), because a flat roof will collapse.
Once your pile is built, walk all over it to compact thesnow. Then let the snow settle for at least an hour. This step is crucialbecause it gives the walls and ceiling structural integrity.
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