How To Make: Quinzhee / Quinzee / Igloo / Snow Fort Safely

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This is something that I've been building since childhood. I used to burrow long tunnels into snowbanks along our driveway with my brother, and eventually moved to quinzhees (I affectionately just call them igloos even though they're not).

Other videos show 'temporary' ones, where it snows maybe 6cm and after a day of piling snow, it's hollowed out - more survival / winter camping. Mine has been piling and compacting for roughly 2 months, getting harder and harder as the sun melts it, the temperature fluctuates, and I add more snow to the top. Inside mine is very icy, as you'll see the ice chunks in the video. I think that this way is much safer and will last at least a month (or more, depending on weather). I'd guess that I could stand on the roof without it caving in.

This video was recorded on Feb. 01, 2017, and I hope that the quinzhee lasts until at least March 15, which is when, on average, we start to lose our snow accumulation. After March 15, it may snow more, but the overall accumulation declines day-to-day because of the increased temperature and sun exposure, so my guess is that I can use this hut safely for at least a month.

You basically want to keep piling snow on top of itself so that it compactifies and gets harder and harder (icier and icier). Then, when burrowing it, keep the sides thick but the roof thin (you can see beautiful blue light coming through the ice on sunny days). That way, if it ever does collapse (never happened to me so far), the amount of snow on the top isn't too heavy. I would also suggest keeping the side that's exposed to the sun thicker. In my case it's the entryway, so I've tried to make the entrance and the adjacent walls thicker.

If you light a candle inside, it'll somewhat melt the inside walls and make them smoother. A few other tips follow. Use a hockey stick or other stick/bar to gauge wall thickness (in video). The hole that's made can easily be covered with snow, or you could make a translucent window by making an ice block and putting it over the hole. Also, it's best to burrow out the quinzhee during the daytime as the sunlight coming through the ice will indicate appropriate thickness, whereas if you dig it out during the night, some walls may be too thin when you see it the next day. Finally, small metal shovels work best. Because the snow/ice is so thick/dense inside, plastic shovels are useless. In the video you'll see I have 2 shovels because the big one is too long for the initial digging, where there's not a lot of room and the longer handle is hard to maneuver.

Good luck 'glooin'!