Jeff Fox wrote:
I'd be afraid of the heat melting it and caving in during the night.
Structures made from snow are actually increadibly strong and as long as the inside temp stays below 32F it doesn't melt. When it gets up to 32, there is a slight melting which forms an ice glaze over the snow that makes it even stronger.
Snow structures are strong because the individual snow flakes tend to interlock with one another. At snow school in Antarctica, we learned to make a snow hut, also called a Quinsey, which was a design adopted from Native Americans. Unlike an igloo, made from sawn blocks of snow, the Quinsey can be made from light fluffy snow.
Using shovels and strong backs, you make a large pile of snow by lofting shovel loads into the air and letting it fall back down as individual flakes. Once you have a pile about 4 to 5 feet high, you break, get some water and food down your neck and within about an hour to allow the snow to settle and the flakes to interlock and you're ready to dig down below grade on the edge of the pile and tunnel up into the pile. Much like a P Trap in a sink drain, you make the tunnel dip down and then up to keep out the wind and cold. once back up in the pile, you hollow it out maintaining about 1' wall thickness. The snow makes for a great insulator and really dampens the noise from outside. These are much warmer than any tent I've ever slept in during sub-zero nights. By the next morning, the snow of the Quinsey is so strong you can actually climb on top and jump up and down and they won't cave in.
_________________
Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon
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