Snowcave Camp 2017

For our annual snow cave campout this year we decided to stay a little closer to home and drove up to a parking lot up the canyon with high enough plowed hills to dig in.  It was behind a locked gate (one of our leaders is in charge of plowing it) so we knew we were safe to dig and not get plowed while inside.  We had 9 boys and 7 leaders on the trip!  It got down to single digits, but we stayed warm enough.  The boys are getting pretty good at digging snow caves!

Some of the caves, like this one, was pretty tall, and had a large opening (larger than I would have liked), but they still stayed warm all night so it worked.

Fairview Snowcave Campout 2016

It has been a few years since we've been able to do a snowcave campout because of lack of snow, and lack of a good location to go. We used to go up Farmington Canyon, but now they have a gate at the base that only allows snowmobiles through all winter.  So we had to search and find a new location this year.  Everywhere we checked out we were told we couldn't camp there, or there wasn't enough snow.  Finally we decided to drive 2 hours south to the location my dad's scout troop had just gone the weekend before for their camporee.

Unfortunately when we got there, the parking area was very muddy, and there wasn't much room left to dig caves.  We walked around and checked it out anyway, and were told by a guy there that they were going to have a vintage snowmobile race (with 90 vintage snowmobiles) there the next day, starting at 6 AM.  We decided that wasn't where we wanted to be, so asked if he had any other ideas.  He pointed us to a parking area down the road a bit and suggested we try there.  We checked it out and decided to go for it.

We ended up digging 7 caves right into the snow pile along the edge of the pavement parking lot.  (we had 8 boys and 8 adults)  The digging actually went really well, there was a small section of ice, but other than that, the snow was perfect for digging.

Some things we found useful were:

• to slide a sled into the cave and have the person digging fill up the sled with snow then push it back out when done.  The person on the outside dumps the sled over and slides it back in.  Then he shovels the snow that came out up on top of the cave.
• To use hand saws to cut out blocks of snow that were easy to throw out the cave opening.
• Inflatable, solar powered LED lanterns work great to lighten up the entire cave.

We did stew for dinner, and then ziplock omelets for breakfast.  You make an omelet in a ziplock baggie and then drop that into boiling water to cook.  Then you eat it out of the bag.  I tried a different recipe this time, and used my dad's Apple Omelet recipe.  It was really good!  Here's the recipe:

Apple Omelet:

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 apple diced
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Salt
• Sprinkle some Cinnamon & Sugar in there too

It was a great location for the 8 young boys who were all on their first snow cave campout because they could get off the snow, and the cars were right there (though we never needed to allow anyone inside the vehicles to warm up, they did great!).  Maybe next time we'll find a place to go where we can hike in a bit and really survive.  I enjoy doing that and the boys feel quite the accomplishment from it.

Snow Cave Camp - Feb 2012

Each Snow Cave camp has different challenges and hurdles.  This year our challenges were:

• The road to our usual camping location is closed due to the road being washed away last summer
• Our alternate location has only 2-1/2 feet of snow!

Luckily we were able to schedule the camp out on a day that the scouts didn't have school - so we were able to get an earlier start since we knew we would be shoveling the snow into piles, packing it down and then digging in.

We ended up working together to pile the snow up while 2 people walked on the pile with snow shoes to pack it down.  It was warm enough we were digging in short sleeve shirts to pile the snow up.  Once we got one pile done we moved to the next one and let the first one freeze.  That way by the time we got back to digging the caves out, the snow was set and we didn't have any problems with cave-ins or collapsing the caves.

My snow cave

We were able to get one big enough for 3 boys and another for 2 boys, plus each of the leaders dug their own caves.  Two of the leaders dug a quasi trench/cave.  They dug down to earth and then dug a shallow cave large enough to cover 1/2 of their body.  Then they slept with their legs and body inside the cave and their faces out (with a tarp over).

The Trench/Cave

One of them stayed warm, while the other one was cold.  We'll have to experiment more with them.

Snow Cave Camping

Ah, the infamous snow cave campout.  You know the one.  It's the one you did as a kid where you froze your tail end off trying to warm up around a fire after getting soaked digging the cave, then retiring to the cave for bed and not believing how you could possibly stay warm in a cave made out of ICE!

Dug down to ground, now starting to dig out the cave

Entrance to a snow cave

Hard to get a picture of the inside of a cave when it's full of sleeping bags and boys

When there isn't enough snow, dig a snow trench and put the tarp over you.  You'l still stay warmer than sleeping on top of the snow

Well, I've been on 13 different snow cave campouts and have a few ideas to share about making a snow cave campout successful.  I’ve piled up snow when there was less than 2’ of snow to make a cave, and I’ve dug into over 6 feet of snow for a cave and everything in between.  I’ve slept in them when it’s been in the low 30’s, and when it’s been closer to 0 degrees F.  Here’s basically what you need to know (click on each link for more information).

• Digging the Cave
• Clothing for Snow Caves
• Shovels for Digging Snow Caves
• Sleeping in your Snow Cave
• Surviving the Night in a Snow Cave
• Stove Fuel
• Foods
• Lessons Learned 

Oh, and hey, the scout office likes to remind you to collapse your snow cave before you leave so nobody accidentally falls through it while snow shoeing, or skiing or snow mobiling.  So, that's a lot of fun, especially if you have a video mode on your camera!  Nobody was hurt in the making of the below video:

Below is the list we give our scouts of what to bring:

Can or 2 of beef stew

Omelet (see instructions on the right)

Sturdy water bottle (so we can add boiling water and put it in your sleeping bag-Nalgene type works best)

Two Complete changes of clothes

Waterproof clothing (where possible)

Warm Coat

2 Pairs Warm gloves (or more)

Wool/thick socks

Lots of layers of clothing

Hood/cap

Tarp

Hand/feet warmers

Flashlight / Headlamp

Sturdy Snow Shovel

Small digging shovel

Warm sleeping bag (or 2 stuffed together)                   

Foam pad

We will provide bowls, spoons, & cups

Warm Boots (or 2 pairs if needed)

Candy Bars (works great to warm you up)

Any snacks you want – but don’t get carried away.

Any required medications – see parent permission slip


Want to download a word document of the permission slip we use?
CLICK HERE

Snow Cave Camping Lessons Learned

Needless to say, I've learned a few things about snow cave and winter camping.  Below are a few of the things I've learned:

• If you are going to be hiking at all to where you will be camping, get some cheap plastic sleds that you can strap things to, with a pull rope on it.  Then bring a backpack with most of your personal gear, and load the sled with your stove, water, fuel, firewood, kitchen box etc.  Then, if you have time you can hike up the hill and sled down for fun!

Sleds make it easy to haul up gear to your site

• We've sometimes been able to connect caves together with tunnels in the morning after we got up, but one year we connected them together before we went to bed, thinking it would be cool to be able to talk to each other through them.  Well, we learned a few things:
• Snow absorbs so much sound that we couldn't really hear anything in the neighboring cave, so we didn't end up visiting at all
• I was in the cave that was lower (in elevation) than the other cave.  The guy that was with me was sleeping right below the tunnel connecting us to the upper cave.  Well, all the cold air from their cave rushed down through our tunnel, past him and out our door, giving him a cold breeze on him all night.  It would have been warmer for him without the connecting tunnel.

Connecting the caves (3 connected in this case) is fun, but wait till after you wake up to do it

• If the snow is powdery, you'll need to pack it down before you start digging.  In the picture below, we piled up the snow but didn't pack it down and it collapsed twice while digging it.  We ended up just digging a trench and sleeping in it instead of a cave.  We were still warm, but it wasn't the same.

Pack the snow if it's powdery or it'll collapse while you're digging it out

• Feed scoops from IFA and Avalanche Shovels work great in different types of snow.  Other things that work great are regular or square nosed shovels that have the handles cut down to about 12-18".  

Feed Scoop and an Avalanche Shovel

• Shovels to scoop out the snow and throw it away (or to the top of the cave) need to be "scooping" shovels, not "pushing" snow shovels.  Some snow shovels work great for pushing snow off the driveway, but you can't really scoop it up and throw the snow with it.  Those won't work too great when you're trying to throw the snow out of a hole 5 feet deep in the snow.

A "pushing" shovel

Scooping shovels work better for scooping up snow and throwing it away

• Use a plastic box for your food and utensils and stuff (cardboard just get's wet and weak).  Then carve out a kitchen in the snow.  You can make shelves for your stove and food box, a serving table, or whatever you want.  No sense cooking with your stove on the ground just because you don't have a table.

Make your own kitchen

• If you start a fire on top of the snow, it will slowly sink down into the snow and soon the fire will be 4 feet down in a hole and the only way to get warm will be to stand directly over the fire in the smoke.  But if you dig down to the ground and dig around so you can be down by the fire, you can be around the fire and stay warm.  If you only have a few people, you can dig out one side around the fire and let the snow wall on the other side reflect the heat back to you.  If you have a big group, dig out all around the fireplace so everyone can get around it.

Fires started on the snow will sink down till they are useless for heat

For just a few people, dig out one side and let the snow wall reflect the heat back to you.  This also will allow the smoke to go straight up and away from you.

If you have lots of people, dig all round the fire so more people can be near the fire.  Then you can cut seats and stuff into the snow - sit on a piece of wood, or plastic to keep your backside dry

•  It's amazing how much a candy bar can do to help you warm up, have energy, and raise your spirits.  Keep some candy bars in your pack to eat when you get cold or tired.  When you pack, think about how each candy bar will be when frozen.  Carmel candy bars freeze so hard that they're hard to eat.  I prefer peanut butter and chocolate candy bars because they give sugar and protein.
  
• Keep your spirits up.  If you know that you have a plan, you will be more able to be optimistic and keep the boys busy.  If you're busy, you feel better, and you'll stay warmer

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Shovels for Snow Caves

• Shovels - you'll need 2 basic types, something to dig with inside the cave, and something to scoop out all the loose snow from the entrance to the cave
  
  
• Small shovel to use in the cave.  It's small in there so you don't want anything huge.  A few options are:
  
  
• Metal Feed Scoop from IFA works great for digging out chunks of snow and then tossing them out the entrance ($8)
  
  
• Avalanche Shovel  works good for cutting through layers of ice and such (recreation outlet has these for $20)
  
  
• Hand Saw can be used to cut out blocks of snow, then use a sturdy small shovel to pop them out of the wall
  
  
• I've never seen an emergency folding shovel that has held up to digging a snow cave - I've seen a lot of them break though
  
  

  

  IFA Feed Scoop on the left, and an "Avalanche Shovel" on the right.  Both are good for snow caving.
• You'll also need a large shovel to scoop out the loose stuff from inside the cave and throw it out.  We typically use a regular snow shovel, but be careful and only use it for scooping and throwing, not prying because we’ve broken countless shovels through the years.
  

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Sleeping in your Snow Cave

Setting up your sleeping area right is almost as important as how you dig your cave.  You need to be able to get in there and change and go to sleep without getting wet.  You need to sleep up off the ground to keep you insulated from the snow below you too.  Here’s some hints that may help you sleep soundly and warmly.

• A tarp goes on the ground first when you're setting up your sleeping area to keep you and your gear dry.  Some people like a tarp above them as well to stop the drips from getting them wet all night.  If you round out your cave you won't have to worry about that as much, but it's hard to get it perfectly smoothed off so you’ll have to experiment.
  
  
• You'll need a sleeping pad to insulate you from the ground.  I prefer a 3" foam pad, but I know that therm-a-rests and others like that work good too.
  
  

Sleeping bags - don't always trust the temperature rating.  I've been in 0 Degree bags in 40 degree weather and been cold before.  Get a feel for your bag before going.  If in doubt, stuff a smaller bag inside another bag.  Plan on the cave being about 35 degrees.  I’ve slept in a $20 Walmart sleeping bag with a fleece sleeping bag liner stuffed inside and been just fine.


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Surviving the Night in a Snow Cave

• Bring a complete change of clothes.  You'll need to change out of your wet clothing completely before going to sleep.  If you put your snow pants and coat under your sleeping bag they won't freeze and you can wear them again the next morning.
  
  
• Believe me, your cave is warmer than outside.  If you're cold, get inside and get changed to dry clothing and you'll feel 100% warmer!  I’ve been on camps where I’ve spent over an hour convincing a boys that they're going to freeze to death if they don’t get into the cave – but it didn’t make sense to them that if they climbed into a cave of ice, they would get warmer.  Once I finally got them to go inside and change out of their wet clothing, they warmed up almost immediately.
  
  
• Nalgene type water bottles can be filled with boiling water and stuffed into the bottom of your sleeping bag.  It will warm up your bag before you even get into it, and keep your feet warm all night.
  
  
• If you’re one of those who needs to go to the bathroom multiple times in the night, you have 3 options:
  
  
• Get out of your warm sleeping bag, put on your snow pants and coat and boots and slither out your snow cave to write your name out there, or
  
  
• Bring a “special” bottle to bed with you that you can open up and fill up with some nice warm fluids when you’ve got to go – just make sure the cap screws on tightly and it’s labeled properly, or
  
  
• Roll over in bed so you’re facing the cave wall, unzip your sleeping bag half way and sign your name on the inside of the cave – just make sure you don’t have the tarp wrapped around you at the time.

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Fuel for Winter Camping

I’ve found out the hard way that when it gets cold, propane shrinks and doesn’t come out of the bottle very well.  Here’s what we’ve found:

• Stove Fuel:
  
  
• Propane will freeze if the temperature is below 30 or so.  It'll still come out of the bottle, but so slowly that it can't keep up with the heat loss of whatever you're heating.  Bottom line, you eat cold stew.
  
  
• White Gas is somewhat of a bother with the pumping and everything, but I've used it in temperatures down to the single digits and haven't had a problem with it at all.
  
  
• I haven't had the chance to try a butane or other type of stove, but I know my butane lighter doesn't work too well when it's really cold.
  
  
• Propane Lantern uses so little gas that it seems to work fine even when the temperatures are in the single digits.  I haven't ever had the chance to try one out at lower temps then that though.

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Food on Snow Cave Campouts

Foods are very important on snow cave campouts.  You need high calorie, even high fat foods to keep your metabolism going and keep you warm.  You’ll be using a lot of energy digging your cave, and unless you’re using this as a weight loss plan, you need to replenish the calories you burned or you’re going to freeze.  We’re typically up there for just Dinner and Breakfast so here’s what we typically do:

Dinner

•  We typically just have the boys bring a can of stew each and dump it all into a big pot, or 2 pots to warm up over the stove.  We bring up rolls to go with it (even though the rolls are typically frozen by the time we eat them.)
  
  
• Another idea is hot dogs.  One of our leaders brings up 2 packs of hot dogs and a hot dog stick.  Then he cooks it over the fire for a quick, warm meal.

Breakfast

• In the past we’ve just done instant oatmeal for breakfast.  It’s easy, just warm up the water and then it’s self serve.  It’s lightweight so it’s easy to bring along on the trip.
  
  
• We tried something new last time for breakfast.  Everyone made their own omelets beforehand and we cooked them in boiling water in a ziplock bag.  It worked great because everyone got to put whatever they wanted in their omelet, and it was easy cooking and easy cleanup!  Just make sure you get as much of the air out as possible before you drop it in the boiling water.  It was really good and most decided they wanted to do that next time.

Lunch

•          We typically aren’t up there for lunch, but when we have been we’ve done munchies and stuff, sometimes a sandwich.  One time someone brought up a big summer sausage that we sliced off hunks and gnawed on.  That was good!

Munchies

•          You can almost never have too many candy bars.  I like snickers, or nut rolls, or Peanut Butter Cups because they give some quick energy and some protein to keep you going.  I typically bring up 4-6 candy bars of some type – more if I think I’ll need to share with a boy who may not be prepared.

ZIPLOCK OMELETS:

Items Needed:

                2-6 eggs (depending on how hungry you will be)

                Salt

                Milk

                As much as you want of:

                                Cheese

                                Tomatoes

                                Onions

                                Peppers

                                Salsa

                                Brown-n-Serve Sausages

                                Diced Ham, etc.

Crack the eggs into a bowl, mix them up good and add salt (if desired), and milk.  Mix well, then add any other ingredients from the list above diced up if needed.  Pour into a ziplock (or other brand, just make sure it seals) quart size baggie with your name written on it in permanent marker.  Double bag if you desire (so it doesn’t break open in your pack).  Keep it refrigerated until just before we leave.  Then keep in your pack, it will stay cold enough there.

We’ll boil some water and put the baggies with the raw egg mixture into the boiling pot to cook your omelet.  When it’s done you can eat it out of the baggie for a low cleanup meal that’s still filling and good!


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Digging the Snow Cave

Dig a cave with a small opening that's lower than the inside of the cave so you can keep the heat you generate inside your cave.  We typically dig an opening that's 18" square approximately that goes in for about 18 inches before opening up to the room of the cave.  If you dig uphill, then the heat you generate in the cave will stay up in your cave.  If you dig downhill, the heat you generate will raise up and out of the opening, leaving you cold.

Make the snowcave tall enough to sit up in and you'll be more comfortable, but if you don't have much to keep you warm for the night, the smaller the better to stay warm

• Dig down to the ground, but then leave a thin layer of snow on top of the dirt so it's not muddy inside.
  
  
• Head Lamps are very nice when digging at night.  It's dark in the cave and you need both hands to dig with.
  
  
• If you are digging when it is light outside, stop every so often and block the opening for a minute to darken the cave so you can see if there are any light spots in your ceiling.  If so, be careful in that area.
  
  
• If it’s dark, take a thin, long stick and have someone stick it through from the outside.  Then when the inside person pushes it back to the cave wall, you can tell how thick the wall/roof is.  Thickness required totally depends on the snow, but a good thickness is typically 18 inches or more.
  
  
• It’s nice to be able to sit up in your cave for changing purposes, but I’ve been in a cave that was less than 18” tall before too when that was the best we could do with the snow we had.

Simple snow cave sketch.  Make the entrance lower than where you sleep and you'll stay warmer

When the snow isn't deep enough or packed down enough, you may have to dig a trench and put a tarp over it.  The boys that slept in here stayed plenty warm

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Clothing for Snow Caves

• Stay as dry as you can
  
  
• Now, that's a loose term since you'll be laying down in the cave digging.  Plan on wearing waterproof pants and coat, and still getting wet through that.  But try to cut down on your sweating which gets you wet from the inside.  Take off layers if you’re going inside the cave to dig.  You’ll get hot and sweaty.  I know some people dig in the cave with waterproof pants and nothing else on underneath and just a windbreaker on top, but that all depends on the temperatures outside, and how well your exercise warms you up.
• Layers

o    Dress in layers whenever possible.  Don't go out and buy that huge Down coat that's rated to -40F.  You'll sweat the whole time you're wearing it unless you're just sitting in the snow doing nothing.  I typically wear basically a lined windbreaker for my outer layer, with a couple of layers beneath.  I get my warmth from the layers beneath (typically a hooded sweatshirt or fleece sweatshirt, and a T-Shirt and Long Sleeved Shirt - all preferably not cotton), and then I can take off layers underneath if my activity level is making me sweat.Stay away from Cotton

o    Whenever possible, stay away from cotton, use other fabrics like polyester, or fleece.  Cotton gets wet and then loses it’s ability to keep you warm.  Fleece will still keep you warm when wet, and polyester against your skin will wick the moisture off your body and away from it.

• Waterproof clothing melts

o    Almost every trip we go on somebody gets too close to the fire while trying to dry their clothing.  We’ve had melted gloves, melted snow pants, melted jackets, and melted boots.  They don’t keep you warm anymore when they’re melted so be careful.

• Keep track of your gloves

o    You can tell the less experienced boys apart from the more experienced ones by what they do with their gloves when they take them off.  They’ll take them off to start a fire, or eat a meal, or whatever and some boys will stuff them in a pocket to keep them from freezing or getting full of snow, while other boys set them on the ground.  Then they walk on the gloves and pretty soon they’re not willing to put the snow filled gloves back on.  If you keep your gloves in a pocket when you’re not using them, they won’t freeze and you’ll be able to use them again.

•  Hooded Sweatshirt

o    A hat of some type is necessary to keep your head warm, but if you have a hooded sweatshirt, you can share your body heat with your head and keep your neck warm at the same time.  I love my hooded sweatshirt, and even though it’s cotton, I use it when it gets real cold.

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