7 Feb
2003
7 Feb
'03
4:23 a.m.
When I was a kid, I tried and tried to make an igloo of
packed cubes of
snow. I never could get one finished as once the walls started to curve
I couldn't get the layers to stick long enough to close the thing up and
complete it. An igloo is a very stable structure, but a half-finished
one isn't at all stable...
I have a feeling that in survival situations you don't make an igloo, but a
tunnel that you lay down in. Dig a trench into the snow first, then you just
use a few blocks above surface level to make the roof. Pack snow on top of that
to seal the gaps. One end is sealed, then after reversing in you use your pack
to seal the entrance up beind you.
The other alternative is to dig a tunnel. You make it T-shaped for some reason
that currently eludes me; the entrance is at the lowest point of the T and you
lay across the 'arms'.
Biggest problem if you're sheltering is making sure that someone can find you -
using the pack to seal the doorway off goes a long way to achieving that but
overnight snowfall could still hinder the rescuers.
cheers
Jules
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