Our culmination Snow Hole Ski trip was located in a town a few Kilometres south of Hovden called Bedalsbu, however the actual trip occurred in the mountains of Setesdal. As we were in the high mountains of Setesdal, the terrain was typical of winter mountains. We met snow of varying conditions: from icy, old to new, deep to shallow, dirty, fresh, stable and unstable powder, which provided many challenges for our developing skiing abilities. Fortunately, we were blessed with some fantastic weather. High pressure systems with little cloud provided minimal wind and some warmth from the sun, however this led to some cooler nights.
Snow Hole
There were many goals set out for this trip, with the main focus being on creating a 5-6 person snow hole that would withstand 2 nights. And we quickly found out that creating a deep hole in the snow is no easy task.
Foremost, selecting an area that is suitable for your snow hole to be dug is the first port of call. The place where we set up our snow hole was on the side of a small hill that provided snow approximately 3 metres deep. An avalanche probe is the best tool to use when deciding the setting for your hole. When selecting a place for a snow hole, look for an area where the wind has blown snow over the peak of a hill, collecting just over the crest or apex of the hill, creating large amounts of snow which can be dug into. The area that is selected should be convex in shape but not avalanche prone. Therefore, the area that is selected should be on a short hill rather than a steep mountain.
The dimensions for constructing a 5-6 person Snow Hole are given in the following diagrams:
- Dimensions of the Front view of the Snow Hole -
- Dimensions of the Top view of the Snow Hole
The entrance for the snow hole should be as small as possible. In construction, it should be no more than shoulder width apart and just high enough to walk inside. The hole should be approximately 3m deep to provide ample room to create your raised sleeping areas on either side. These sleeping areas are roughly 2mx2mx1m in size which should provide enough space for 3 people to sleep and sit up in. The sleeping areas must be raised approximately 1m above the ground. This is due to the fact that as the warm air rises, the cold air is pushed into the lower section of the hallway. In doing so, the sleeping areas warm up as they trap and circulate the warm air inside their walls.
Digging the snow hole out itself is a difficult task. Generally both snow shovels and saws are used. The quickest method to dig your snow hole out is to saw out large sections of snow, essentially creating large blocks of snow, which can be used later to seal up the entrance of the snow hole. In our case, the snow was to difficult to saw out, so we were forced to chip away the snow with our shovels. This was a slow process which took the better part of 5 hours. Once the main dimensions of the snow are cut out, it is vitally important to smooth out any bumps and points in the roof of the snow hole. Condensation and warm air that is breathed out by us can gather on the roof, so any little point or edge that is sticking out from the top of the roof creates a point where water can drip during the night, so to ensure you stay dry, it is vital to smoothen these points out.
Once the inside of the snow hole is prepared, you then need to block of two thirds of you door to ensure that wind and snow from the night does not make its way inside the hole. Placing branches
- Entrance of the Snow Hole from the inside -
on the top two thirds of the hole creates a foundational structure for you to then place the large blocks of snow you cut out earlier. This creates a stable door to your snow hole whilst leaving just enough room for you to crawl in and out of your hole. Although having a large door is vital, it is also just as important to leave enough room in your door for oxygen to circulate in and out of you hole. Improper circulation of air can create a real threat of death by carbon monoxide poisoning. A solution to anticipating a lack of oxygen in the hole, is to leave a candle lit deep in you hole. When the candle stops burning, your hole is losing oxygen, and adjustments need to be adhered to.
Equipment
Packing a rucksack for a journey into the mountains is a very important aspect to consider when it comes to preparing for your trip. Being able to have all the necessary and most important equipment on hand to handle the worst of situations whilst leading a group is of utmost importance.
The most important items to carry are as follows:
Map and Compass
-Possibly one of the most important item to take on a Field Trip. Being able to locate where you are, avoid dangers and keep on track are vitally important.
Snow shovel
-Essential in Winter Mountain Journeys. Used to dig and create shelters in the snow such as Snow Holes for extended periods of stay. Also essential in digging out someone who is caught in an avalanche.
First Aid Kit – adapted for winter conditions
-Another critically essential item. Applying first aid in the field is a required skill for a leader and a First Aid kit is his/her right hand man
Emergency water and windproof shelter
-Very important for a rapid change in weather conditions, or to protect an injured/sick person among many other uses.
Avalanche probe
-Used to assess the risk of an avalanche in an area and discover the depth and density of the snow.
Spare woollen beanie and gloves
-Spares are required for students who have either lost or forgotten these essential items.
Extra warm clothing
-Important for not only when you have stopped moving, but for when the sun goes down and for students who require more clothes.
Warm fluid and high, long lasting energy food
-Warm fluid is essential as cold water simply cools the body. More energy is used to warm cold water as it is digested. High energy food is esential to sustain energy requirements in the mountains. Having enough food to be able to snack througout the day is ideal.
A means of starting fire: matches, lighter, fire starting kit
-Having a fire in the mountains heeds many benefits: Cooking, warmth, boiling snow for water, wellbeing, happiness and a light source.
Suitable sleeping bag
-Sleeping without a very warm sleeping bag in extreme cold conditions is irresponsible and simply stupid. Keeping warm whilst sleeping is vitally important.
Nutrition
Appropriate nutrition while cross country skiing in the mountains is highly important in order to have safe and smooth trip. It is essential to get the right mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in your meals and to get lots of them. Carbohydrates should make up around 50-60% of your intake over the day to provide you with plenty of fast burning energy. Fats are also very important as they are the key fuel for low intensity, long duration exercise. They are the second most efficient energy source behind carbohydrates but are equally important. Protein is very important in the regeneration and recovery of muscles. For muscles that are damaged and worn out from a day of skiing, extra protein that is consumed in your meal will help these muscles repair themselves for the next days skiing. It must be noted that protein is not an efficient energy source and thus is a supplementation to carbohydrates and fats.
I kept my meal plan very simple. Oats with sultanas for breakfast with a warm drink of water with a few carrots. Lunches consisted of Damper, which is essentially a home made bread that is dense, filling and full of energy. Dinners each night were rice meals supplemented by vegetables and meat with an added sauce for flavouring. This meal includes all three of the Macro nutrients. Desert consisted of chocolate, not for any real nutritional purpose, more just for my psyche. And for snacks throughout the day I mainly ate carrots but I also carried a packet of nut mix which I slowly went through.
Overall, my main learning came through making and preparing a snow hole. This I guess was the main focus of the trip and was the main piece of knowledge that I will take away from it. Little information was given regarding navigation, avalanches or mountain safety, and information around clothing, nutrition, and equipment I had gained from previous camps. But overall, it was a very enjoyable field trip.