How to Build Fires or Shelters in the Snow

Building a Fire

• 1

  Search for dry wood to burn. Check beneath vegetation or inside tree stumps where the wood has been shielded from the elements. Snap a smaller piece in half, and examine the inside to determine if the wood is wet or dry.

• 2

  Dig a hole in the snow to give yourself an area to start the fire. Try to build the fire on solid ground. If the snow is too deep to dig through, pack it down into a solid, level area. Place a layer of wood on top of the snow, to form the base for your fire.

• 3

  Light the fire by utilizing a fire starter. Try using pine needles, birch bark or even pocket lint to get the wood burning. Once the fire gets going, place your damp wood around it to dry out.

Building a Quinzee

• 4

  Shovel the snow into a pile. The snow mound should be 7 to 8 feet tall and large enough in diameter to accommodate two people. As you add snow to the pile, flip your shovel to mix snow of different consistencies. Once you've shaped the snow into a dome shape, wait 90 minutes for the structure to harden.

• 5

  Dig an entrance for your quinzee on the side that's facing downhill. Hollow out the walls and ceiling of the mound, beginning from the top and working your way down. Make the walls 1 to 2 feet thick. For an accurate measurement, poke sticks into the quinzee from the outside. Stop digging when you reach the edge of the stick.

• 6

  Continue hollowing out your quinzee down to the last remaining foot of snow. Dig out a snow bed on each side. Between the beds, shovel out a thin trench down to the ground. Make a small hole through the top of your quinzee for ventilation.