snow and ice – Page 30

December 13, 2006

build a quinzee (snow shelter)

The quickest way to get shelter in the snow is to build a snow cave or quinzee. (quinzhee)

Once built, the door loosely covered (to allow in some air), temperature stabilizes at about 0C (32F). You can wear a t-shirt while sitting inside your sleeping bag quite comfortably as there is no wind.

One candle will provide enough brightness.

Jason Klass has a new gear blog, one post showing a huge quinzee.

The roof looks too heavy to me. We keep ours no thicker than 12in as people have suffocated after collapses.

Check out Jason’s blog, Homemade Backpacking Gear.

By the way, I notice he is using freewebs.com software. Looks good. I have another friend very happy with that free site hosting software. (I cannot seem to find an RSS feed from the blog, however.)

December 13, 2006

article “winter camping for beginners”

Club Tread is a site I have been using for years for advice on trips in Western Canada. We link to many of their pages.

But this is the best Club Tread article yet!

Thanks so much to author Stephen Sharp.

He is less keen on building a quinzee than am I:

All my experiences with snow shelters have not been successful or comfortable. They are fun to build but I am claustrophobic!

They are definitely warmer than a tent but take at least three hours to excavate. Having to evacuate a snow cave in the middle of a blizzard because the roof was collapsing under the weight of an enormous snowfall has soured me completely on them.

My favorite snow shelter is a snow trench. Essentially it is a trench dug into the snow in which sleeping platforms have been cut and is covered by a tarp that is covered with a layer of snow. Remember to bring some sort of sleeping bag cover to protect it from getting wet from dripping melt water!

I find that a candle lantern is an essential piece of gear to use in any shelter or tent. Besides providing light, a candle will help dry out the air and add a little warmth.

ClubTread.com – Winter Camping for Beginners

(via The Adventure Blog)

September 5, 2006

hiking arctic Sweden – Kungsleden

Peter Potterfield is the author of Classic Hikes of the World.

He spent a week hiking a section of the Kungsleden â€” Abisko Mountain Station to Kebnekaise Mountain Station â€” about 100 kilometers â€” “some of the best scenery of the entire route, including Sweden’s highest mountain.”

Hiking Arctic Sweden page 1 – GreatOutdoors.com

Kungsleden: The Basics

The Trail: The 450-kilometer Kungsleden begins at Abisko, in the north, and continues south to Hemavan. Hiking the entire route takes a month, or more, figuring about 100 kilometers per week. …

When to Go: The huts on the northern section are open from mid-June to mid-September, when the trail is sufficiently free of snow to be hiked. The midnight sun shines from the end of May to Mid July. Expect a wet track but uncrowded huts until mid-July, when the month-long busy hiking season begins. Any hike in September comes with the risk of early season snow.

Trip Planning: Lappland is relatively remote, but surprisingly easy to reach from Stockholm if you know how. Kiruna makes a laid-back staging city, accessed by air, with convenient bus connections to and from the hike.

The STF, the Swedish Touring Federation offers basic information in English and Japanese, and much more in Swedish and European languages. STF volunteers answer email, so if you inquire in English about a travel detail or ask a question about Kungsleden, you usually get a response in English within a week or so.

photo – elfi kaut