Snow Survival Shelter

Snow survival shelters are built to provide warmth when in the cold outdoors. Here are a few guidelines to make one.

RELATED: 13 Winter Survival Methods To Keep You Warm

How to Build a Snow Shelter and Withstand the Cold Outdoors

Snow Shelter for Extreme Cold

Extreme weather conditions, especially intense cold, weaken the human body. Hypothermia will likely be the cause of your demise if you can’t find a winter shelter during chilly seasons.

Hypothermia Definition: Hypothermia occurs when the human body loses heat faster than it can produce it, making the body temperature dangerously low which can lead to death.

The sun cannot provide sufficient heat to some parts of the world, so it is crucial to be prepared for situations like this. If you’re in the cold for ice fishing or winter camping, you can withstand the negative temperatures by building snow shelters.

Scout a Proper Location

A well-suited location is the most important factor to start with. This will keep you and your shelter from getting drowned by snow, water, or falling branches from trees.

You’ll prefer looking for the side where the sun’s rays can reach you. Never choose a place near water, as you never know when the water level might rise. Pick a place where the ground is flat and stable.

Material Selection

Gather all the materials you think you’ll need to make this masterpiece. You must maximize your source of light, and protect yourself from wildlife around the area.

You can utilize wooden sticks or branches from trees as your main material for the shelter. If you lack ropes in your backpack, look for long vines because these will be useful to solidify your structure. Also scout for leaves, even the dried ones, for your outer covering later on.

RELATED: The Prepper’s Guide To Winter Survival

Framework

Cold Weather Survival – Part 2: Weapons, Gear And Nutrition Photo by Off Grid

Now that you have the materials, you can start building the skeleton of your soon-to-be home. Use the branches you’ve gathered to begin setting it up.

First, think about the structure. The most basic and strongest type of framework is cone-shaped or dome type.

Place the branches in a cone form wherein the tip faces the sky. Tie the upper end with a rope or vine to hold them all together.

The other end must stand stable while deep in the snow or dirt. To keep you warm, you can cover the bast with branches as well to avoid contact with the snow. Make sure to keep the structure firm and stable, otherwise, it will collapse to the ground.

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Roofing

If you’re prepared, you might have brought emergency blankets with you, if not, you can use the leaves as your roofing. These will contain the heat inside providing you warmth.

Surround the whole bodywork with either of the two and keep it still. Make sure all the gaps are enclosed to prevent the heat from escaping.

Learn how to make a portable snow survival shelter in this video by Far North Bushcraft And Survival:

In extremely cold weather, we can only survive approximately three hours without shelter. It is absolutely vital to know the basic principles of survival sheltering such as building a snow survival shelter. When you’re in the cold outdoors, build yourself a shelter and follow our Survival Life guidelines to keep you from freezing.

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What additional tips can you give in building a snow survival shelter? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 31, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.