Blog Snow Hole Trip-

Our final ski trip of the semester took place at Berdalsbu with the intention of building and sleeping in snow holes. Our first bight was spent in a DNT cabin and then we spent two nights in our snow holes. The other days involved learning about avalanche danger in different terrain, learning how to build a ski course suitable for beginners and a small ski tour of the local mountain tops.
The main learning objective of the trip was the construction of snow holes. We discussed 2 different possible construction methods both in lectures and in the Berdalsbu cabin. The first construction method was digging one entrance into a cold air trench and sleeping on platforms above either side of the trench. The second method was digging 2 entrances 3 meters apart and having the bed platform in between these entrances. We opted for this method as it allowed all 4 of us to dig at the same time and more room for cooking. Our first major mistake was digging the entrances too far apart. I measured the gap with the 320cm avalanche probe and allowed for a little extra so it was nearly 3.5m wide. This extra 0.5m added an extra hour to our digging time and put us well behind the other groups. Although it did not seem like much it led to a much larger volume of snow needing to be shoveled out. This extra time caused us to take short cuts in digging the depth of our cave so our cave was not deep enough to sleep all 4 members. Therefore Zoe drew the short straw and had to sleep across our heads in a T shape.
Overall our snow hole design worked as well as it was intended to. It retained warmth and maintained a temperature around 0 degrees Celsius, the roof did not droop lower and the ventilation hole successfully removed gasses from cooking. I slept well each night and I think I could easily live in one of these for a longer period. The only improvement I would make is the size of the sleeping area, apart from that everything went to plan.
Another learning objective of the trip was safety in avalanche terrain. We split into two groups, I was in Tim’s group and we set off up some hills behind the hut to find a slope of roughly 30 degrees. Once we found one, we were shown how to perform three different snow profiles. The first one involved digging vertically down to the ground, about 1 meter wide then cutting the sides to make it an independent block. We then discovered weak layers by running our finger down the face of the block feeling for crusty and soft sugary layers. We then tapped the top of the block with a shovel, slowly increasing the power of the tap until we were using a full arm swing. Eventually an already suspect weak layer let go indicating some chance of an avalanche. The second profile was identical to the first but it was wider to allow Tom to stand on top with his skis. Again the third was very similar but this time we used person to walk on the block. This profile is more useful for mountaineering as it simulates a similar stress applied to the snow during the activity. We then discussed the differences of convex and concave slopes and how concave slopes are generally safer as the weight of the snow is supported by the lower snow. To complete this session we learnt how to safely traverse in avalanche prone terrain, skiing fast, one at a time towards safer ground and having the spectators be alert and spotting incase the slope does let go.
Our last main learning objective was the construction of a ski course for beginner skiers to improve their skills and for it to be enjoyable. These ski courses are commonly used on Norwegian school field trips or for anyone being taught how to cross country ski. The ski course involved four games which were shaped to teach different fundamental skills.
1 Bumps and Dips- This taught us how to keep our center of gravity stable whilst moving over undulations.
2 Slalom Course- This taught us a variety of turning skills.
3 Ski Jump- This game taught the proper way of landing when skiing of a drop off or a jump and is one of the most exciting games.
4 Alternating Bumps- This game taught how to use your knees and balance to ski over un-even surface.
Overall this camp focused camp a lot more on learning instead of covering long distances and our personal skiing skills. I thoroughly enjoyed this week, especially learning about avalanche danger as this is something that is always in the back of my mind when skiing or mountaineering. This trip was a great way to finish our winter component of the course and I look forward to the new and upcoming activities.