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Wall of snow blocks Fig. 5. Plan for a four-man snow cave. Snow caves.—Here again there is an opportunity to choose from an infinite number of designs. For simplicity the standard four-man cave only will be described. Its layout is shown in the accompanying illustration. A compacted snow slope at least six feet in depth is selected, preferably a steep bank or drift. A tunnel with arched roof, about three feet wide and four feet high is dug directly into the bank. A small shovel, such as the army trench shovel, or a lighter duralumin substitute, is the best tool for the purpose, but a satisfactory job can be done with a long knife, or the heel of the ski (but do not pry hard with it). The face of the tunnel is cut into blocks, the lowest layer chipped out and the successive upper layers pried down. These blocks, remaining intact, can be removed by hand and the better ones used for the construction of the wing wall shown in the diagram. Broken blocks can be scraped out of the cave with hands or cooking pots. |
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