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Curious what people use and why... Tents or shelters? If shelters is it a purpose built shelter, or just a generic camping tarp?

Snow cave or tent, IMHO winter is no time for a tarp.

EDIT: if for no other reason think about trying to light your stove or keep your clothes/bag moisture-free with a bunch of spindrift.

I don't do a lot of snow camping, however, a tarp could have it's uses, but in conjunction with a snow cave/structure. Dig out the the area under your tarp and fill in the open areas at either end, maybe build a entrance with a right angle to prevent too much spindrift blowing in. Boom, spacious winter shelter with less work than a snow cave.

check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Mikes-Really-Cool-Backcountry/dp/1575400766

I've spent a few nights in a sculpted snow hole under a megamid-type tarp in the snow, as described above. You can rig them up with ski poles, avy probes, sticks, cord, etc. Worked well for my needs, where we could set it up protected in the trees. In more alpine conditions, I'd want to dig a snowcave, or, technically, more typically what I've built has been a quinzhee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinzhee

Bring as much insulation padding as you can for between the snow/tent floor and your sleeping bag.


Good book.

Buckchow, I have done essentially the same thing you described. On my NOLS splitboarding course we did that exact thing, then built a snowcave/quinzhee the next day.

It works well, and definitely doesn't take as long a building a snow structure.

but it's oh so satisfying if you have the time!

I use a floor-less tent, in particular the Golite Shangri-La 2.



Having a floor-less shelter allows you to dig down into the snow. If the pack is deep enough you can dig down and then out under the walls to create a sleeping area outside the footprint of the tent. Then the middle part of the tent is available for standing around in. You of course need to leave pillars of snow to prop your ski poles up on to hold up the roof of course.

Here's an awesome drawing of what I'm talking about:

Red = shelter
Blue = snow
Green = sleeping bags
Black = ski pole

Great drawing, greater idea.

Nice work.

I generally prefer a tent, as it is much quicker for set up and take down than tarp/snowcave combos and one can spend a lot of energy which might be saved for riding in digging that much snow. But, in the right situation, a nice snowcave is quiet and bombproof, and warm. I have a Mountain Hardware Kiva, and this works pretty well if one has the time and energy to set it up perfectly and dig it in. Around here it is so windy, that one really has to be careful if relying on tarp type shelters, the Kiva will withstand winds, but only if fully guyed out and the entire perimeter well buried, or building an AK style walled campsite.
Bottom line: one or two nights, tent. Longer trips with one basecamp, tarp/snowcave, although lately I have been using huts for trips longer than a couple of days.

that diagram rocks! definitely going to have to try this.

I have great success with Black Diamond Megamid and Golite Hex 3 floorless tents for winter camping/backcountry travel. Pryamid styles tenst are awesome and simple to use for extended winter camping / backcountry travel and are used widely on expeditions as the "cook-tent".

Use the BD Pole Link Converter http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/shelters/pole-link-converter with ski poles to save on having to carry the pole.

I now carry the MSR EHouse http://www.backcountry.com/msr-e-house-shelter?CMP_SKU=CAS0559&MER=0406&CMP_ID=SH_FRO001&mv_pc=r126&mr:trackingCode=9F3EC1DA-F061-DF11-9DA0-002219319097&mr:referralID=NA as an ultralight weight shelter (20 oz).

Valentines Night 2010, My wife and I had to do an emergency bivouc with the EHouse. The EHouse work great! It was semi self-supporting as we tether the roof at each end with AT skis standing up, Then:

1. I formed a "^" (upside down V) with ski poles (fully extended) and lashed the handles together with Voile straps.
2. Placed the both set of "^" ski poles. attach the ski pole tips with each corner of the tent stake loops and the ski pole handles into the apex of the tent roof/door corner.

This allowed us to dig a slightly deep trench instead of placing the ski pole standing in the into the apex of the tent roof/door corner. Then we snow-anchor each side of the EHouse on with my skis (splitboard). The night was windy and snowed over a foot!

I also purchased the EHouse to use as quick get out of the weather without having to pitch it as a tent or lunch and rest stops. Similar to the UltraLite Alpini Shelter by Brooks-Range (see http://brooks-range.com/UltraLite-Alpin ... r-200.html) which is used for lunch and rest stops, when pitching a tent would be too time consuming and impractical.

By the way, if you have the $$$$... the best winter shelter out there is the Brook-Range Rocket Tent
see http://brooks-range.com/rocket-tent.html I know Dick Jackson, the designer of this tent and owner/guide of Aspen Expeditions.

I did a rec. Avi course when I was in College and we built one of those fancy name snowcaves. We also threw a tarp down in the cave as a moisture barrier. Did it work, I don't know?