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OUTSIDE
East Oregonian
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Knowing how to make a snow cave a handy winter skill
By RICH LANDERS
The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review
SKI REPORT
LOOKOUT
PASS, Idaho
(AP) — A group of Spokane
Mountaineers shouldered packs and
snowshoed out from Lookout Pass
with shovels and positive attitudes
for their fi rst winter camping expe-
rience in snow caves.
“Everybody who heads out in
winter should know how to make
one,” said Sara Schmelzer, the
outing organizer.
They didn’t have to, but they
wanted to build snow caves and
sleep in them.
Each member owned a perfectly
good tent. In fact, with his snow
excavating skills still untested,
Shannon Lavada packed one with
him just in case. “Murphy’s Law
seems to rule wherever I go,” he
said.
But Lavada took to winter
shelter making like a young badger
digging its fi rst den.
By late afternoon, he and his
caving partner, Lexi Nelson, had a
roomy white suite in the fi ve-foot
snowpack of the St. Regis Basin.
They were all smiles. The tent
stayed in the pack.
“This was my fi rst winter
camping experience, and I loved
it,” Nelson said later. “From
Shannon’s experience, I learned
it’s necessary to bring a complete
extra outfi t to wear because your
clothes and gloves will be soaked
from digging,” she added, noting
that Shannon did most of the under-
snow excavation.
Water-resistant overmitts can
be worth packing, along with good
rain gear.
Leslie Hvozda liked the perfor-
mance of an inexpensive shovel
she’d bought at an auto parts store.
“The slightly curved blade shape
helps shave off smooth walls and
ceilings,” she said.
Ideally, a group might also have
a shovel with a fl atter scoop, which
is better for cutting and lifting out
snow blocks from the snowpack.
The group talked about site
selection. Champagne powder
doesn’t work without packing
and time to settle. The snow pack
should have some consolidation,
as in a drift. Above all, avalanche
terrain must be avoided.
On the trek in, they passed a
small group of dads and young Boy
Scouts who’d made a snow shelter
camp at a safe lower elevation. The
snow wasn’t deep enough for a
cave, but Scouts are resourceful.
They’d built a quinzhee - a giant
pile of snow they’d shoveled up and
then hollowed out to create a shelter.
It looked a bit like an igloo from the
outside. Sleeping platforms were
neatly carved out of the interior.
Nicely done.
Snow shelters can range from a
rabbit hole in a tree well and a snow-
block-covered trench to a multiroom
cavern. They almost always require
more time and energy to build than
simply stamping a platform in the
snow with skis or snowshoes and
Spout Springs
Tollgate, Ore.
CLOSED FOR SEASON
Anthony Lakes
North Powder, Ore.
Snow this week: 8”
Base depth: 69”
Conditions: Hill was closed
Thursday due to weather.
Varying for weekend.
Ski Bluewood
Dayton, Wash.
New snow: 2”
Base depth: 62”
Conditions: Machine-groomed
wet snow
Ski Fergi
Joseph, Ore.
New snow: 2”
Base depth: 25”
Conditions: Rain/snow mix
will make for varying condi-
tions.
Rich Landers/The Spokesman-Review via AP
Seth Flanders and Leslie Hvozda begin digging a snow cave near Lookout Pass Idaho during an
overnight snowshoeing trek with the Spokane Mountaineers on Jan. 28.
pitching a tent.
When planning a winter trek,
one must ponder these and other
pros and cons of a four-season tent
against a snow shelter.
Tents provide quick shelter
that’s dependable in a wide range
of conditions. Finding or digging
a fairly level platform is necessary,
but that usually requires less exer-
tion that building a snow shelter and
there’s far less chance of getting
clothing wet.
The inside of a tent can be
warmer than a snow cave during a
sunny winter day, but the tent will
be colder on cloudy days and at
night.
Meanwhile, the interior tempera-
ture of a ventilated occupied snow
cave and a couple of candles
burning will hover around 32
degrees, which is pretty dang nice if
the temperatures are in single digits
outside.
A snow cave or igloo might be
the preferred shelter for a multiday
stay at a base camp. Snow shelters
are bombproof in high winds that
can damage tents, although snow-
block walls can help protect a tent
in a storm.
Time is a major consideration.
The Mountaineers required 3 to 4
hours to build their fi rst snow caves.
Tyler Nyman had to redirect his
efforts when he dug into a boulder.
Excavation became more tedious
when they dug in and discovered
the snow slope they’d selected was
riddled with alder branches that
might have been fl attened lower to
the ground had the fi rst deep snows
of the season been wetter and not so
light.
“Always carry pruning clip-
pers,” Nelson advised, thankful that
Schmelzer, a veteran snow caver,
came prepared.
In the 1970s, the late Russ
Rich Landers/The Spokesman-Review via AP
Lexi Nelson and Shannon Lavada check out the newly carved
snow cave they built near Lookout Pass Idaho during an overnight
snowshoeing trek with the Spokane Mountaineers on Jan. 28.
Keene, a veteran of the 10th Moun-
tain Division, and his son, Rob, had
a tradition of skiing up the slopes
from Schweitzer Mountain Resort
and building a snow cave for a
week of celebrating the new year.
They were masters. Rob, who’d
learned to eliminate wasted steps
and shovel strokes, could build a
comfortable cave for two or three
people in less than 90 minutes.
They loved to invite people to
join them on the extra sleeping plat-
forms they would build, each with
its own carved out shelf for keeping
head lamps, mugs and toiletries
handy, and a nook for a candle.
The warm glow of the fl ames in
the cave (a vent hole was punched
into the rounded ceiling) set the
atmosphere for a toasty evening
inside while sipping hot tea and
talking about the art of winter
camping.
The Mountaineers brought
various types of LED lights or
lanterns to brighten their caves.
Rather than digging to start their
entrance hole for a cave, the Keenes
would double the use of that effort
by using squarish shovels to exca-
vate snow blocks and setting them
aside.
The blocks would be used later
to downsize the entrance hole and
build a wind screen for the outside
optional cooking and eating area.
The fi nished cave and patio was
fi t for a Better Homes & Gardens
spread.
Snow cave designs vary
depending on size and snow
conditions. Basic features include a
step up from the entrance hole to a
fl oor with the sleeping platforms a
couple of feet above that. The lower
area at the entrance acts as a cold air
sump. A rounded ceiling increases
structural strength.
Wands or ski poles with ribbons
are used to mark the cave to warn
away someone — a snowmobiler,
for instance — from unwittingly
crushing the structure.
Mt. Hood Meadows
Government Camp, Ore.
New snow: 5”
Base depth: 102”
Conditions: Rain Friday. Wet-
packed snow on the groom.
Rain-soaked snow off piste.
Snow blocks can be brought just
inside the entrance to seal out wind
at night, or a pack can be used as a
door.
A shovel should be brought
inside the cave in case it’s necessary
to dig out through a snow drift.
The
Mountaineers
were
equipped with one or two sleeping
pads apiece. Insulation between
your body and the snow is critical
for a good night’s sleep. A few pads
were rolled out on the snow bench
for comfort as they sat around a
group kitchen carved out of the
snow pack.
They shared stories and tips. The
fi rst-timers were warned that the
roof of a snow cave naturally settles
several inches during the night. It
might seem much closer to your
face when you wake.
Schmelzer said the most restric-
tive cave she’s seen was a Y-shaped
rabbit hole - one entrance branching
into two sleeping tunnels.
The most interesting cave she’s
slept in was built into a tree well
and included a small evergreen tree
which, unbeknownst to the cave
makers, was inhabited by a consid-
erable population of wintering
spiders.
“They awoke with the heat of our
bodies in the cave,” Schmelzer said,
leaving the rest to our imaginations.
Over the years, stories have been
written about skiers or climbers
who survived unplanned overnights
or endured deadly storms by holing
up in an emergency snow shelter.
It’s a skill you may never need,
but then again, you might need it
urgently.
Olympic National Park offers plenty of winter fun
SEATTLE
(AP)
—
During the warmer months,
no one needs to sell Olympic
National Park to visitors.
Breathtaking 360-degree
views that stretch from
Vancouver Island over the
Strait of Juan de Fuca and
into the interior Olympic
range are enough to draw
thousands of visitors from all
over the world to Hurricane
Ridge on a typical summer
day.
Come winter, things tend
to quiet down a bit. Yes,
the parking lot still fi lls up
sometimes, but limited road
access and variable weather
push the visitor count down
to around 1,000 people on
popular winter weekends.
Most are families from the
Port Angeles and Sequim
areas, up for a day of skiing,
snowshoeing or innertubing.
A handful make the trek from
Bainbridge Island and the
Kitsap Peninsula.
My fi ancé and I, on a
recent weekend trip from
Seattle, were the tourists.
It was an unexpected but
refreshing realization, to feel
like an outsider in a place we
had visited at least a dozen
times before. And the spec-
tacular views were still there,
made even more dramatic by
the abundant early-season
snowfall.
Winter is a great time to
rediscover
Washington’s
national
parks.
Fewer
crowds, readily available
lodging, and a variety of
snow-sport activities add
up to a stress-free, relaxing
escape from the city — just
the way our national parks
should be experienced.
A friendly little ski area
Caitlin Moran / The Seattle Times via AP
This photo taken Jan. 7, shows a skier nears the top of
the rope tow at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National
Park, Wash. The visitor center is in the background.
When we arrived at Hurri-
cane Ridge, several inches
of untouched powder snow
lingered from the last storm
cycle, preserved by unusu-
ally cold temperatures and
the standard weekday road
closure. But Frank Crippen,
director of the ski school
at the Hurricane Ridge Ski
Area, had his eyes on the
water.
“You can actually do a
surf check from a couple of
spots around here,” he said
while giving us a quick tour
of the local ski hill.
By the standard of most
resorts in the Cascades, the
nonprofi t Hurricane Ridge
Ski Area is tiny. There are two
rope tows and one surface-
level Poma lift, offering a
total vertical drop of 800 feet.
It gets just 5,000 skier visits
in an average year.
What it lacks in size,
Hurricane Ridge makes up
for with a friendly ski culture
and extensive backcountry
access. The lifties toss foot-
balls back and forth with kids
on snowboards. A shuttle
driver named Willie Nelson
(yes, that’s his real name)
offers free rides back up the
hill to backcountry skiers and
snowboarders making laps
off Sunrise Ridge.
Everyone
knows
everyone, and it’s not
uncommon for parents to
drop their kids off at the
base area and head out for a
backcountry tour.
Lift tickets are $34 for the
day and bear two marketing
slogans: “I’ve skied in the
Olympics!” and “Thanks to
our supporters for keeping
sea level to ski level alive.”
Aside from being home to
one of only three remaining
ski areas located within U.S.
national parks, the Olympic
Peninsula is also one of
few places where you can
ski within 20 miles of the
nearest surfi ng access. A
popular springtime endeavor
for locals is the “Triple S
Challenge”: skiing (or snow-
boarding), surfi ng and single-
track mountain biking, all in
the same day.
Crippen, who grew up
in Seattle but moved to the
peninsula in the 1990s, owns
a shop in Port Angeles called
North by Northwest. It caters
to all board-based sports.
“You’d never move here
for the skiing, you’d never
move here for the surfi ng,
you’d never move here for
the mountain biking,” he
said, smiling. “But when you
put all those together .”
That synergy isn’t lost on
Jill and Russ DeGroote, who
moved to Port Angeles from
Iowa with their four children
just before Christmas.
“Yesterday we’re hiking
by the ocean,” Jill said.
“Today we’re snowboarding.
It’s amazing.”
Snowshoeing, too
After a full morning of
skiing, I swapped footwear
and headed toward the park
service visitor center for a
90-minute snowshoe walk
led by ranger Caroline Walls.
Our group of 13 followed a
gentle half-mile loop through
the forest as Walls explained
how various trees, animals
and birds survive the winter
and conserve their energy
during the colder months.
Other popular snowshoe
destinations accessed from
Hurricane Ridge include
Hurricane Hill, the Wolf
Creek Trail and the Obstruc-
tion Point Road (closed to
vehicles during the winter).
Rangers warn that there
are no marked or groomed
trails for snowshoers or
cross-country skiers, and that
some routes pass through
avalanche terrain. Pack the
appropriate safety gear and
check in with rangers before
embarking on any extended
backcountry treks.
Want to just sit back and
enjoy the ride? The Hurri-
cane Ridge Ski Area offers
innertubing for $10 an hour,
including tube rental and a
push down the slope. There
is also a small snowplay area
where sledding is allowed for
kids 8 and younger, free of
charge.
A history of skiing
Skiing in the Olympic
Mountains predates the
park’s formation. In the
1930s, the construction of a
Civilian Conservation Corps
lodge and a rough, one-lane
dirt road to Deer Park made
it the place to be for local
winter sports enthusiasts.
Two decades later, another
construction push brought a
two-lane road to Hurricane
Ridge, where the ski area
moved in 1958.
Aside from the addition
of the Poma lift in the 1970s,
skiing at Hurricane Ridge
has remained relatively
unchanged since then, even
as larger resorts consolidated
ownership and invested in
high-tech equipment. But
if there’s one thing that’s
drawing more out-of-towners
to Hurricane Ridge in the
winter, it’s the area’s unre-
stricted access to limitless
backcountry terrain.
“It’s just gotten super
on-the-radar lately,” Crippen
said.
Venturing out along
Sunrise Ridge on our second
day in the park, it was easy to
understand the draw. A short
rope-tow ride and straight-
forward traverse brought us
to the top of several runs of
varying steepness, running
off both sides of the ridge.
Patroller Russ Morrison,
who has skied at Hurricane
Ridge since 1968, pointed
out all the descent options
as we skinned through the
trees. One popular line called
Maggie’s Run is named
after a plow operator who
got stuck on a tight corner
several decades ago and had
to wait out the storm in his
rig. We ended up dropping in
at a saddle that rises to meet
6,545-foot Mount Angeles,
with 800 or so feet of soft
turns bringing us back to the
road.
After hitching a ride up
to the parking lot, I asked
Morrison to sum up skiing
at Hurricane Ridge in one
sentence.
“Don’t tell anyone!” he
said with a grin. “We’re so
fortunate to have this — it’s
ridiculous.”
If you go
The Olympic National
Park road to Hurricane Ridge
is open to uphill traffi c in
winter from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday-Sunday and holiday
Mondays, conditions permit-
ting. Downhill traffi c must
exit the park by 5 p.m. All
visitors are required to carry
tire chains and pay a park
entrance fee of $25 (good for
seven days). Check the road
status at 360-565-3131.
Ninety-minute
rang-
er-guided snowshoe walks
take place at 2 p.m. on
weekends and holidays.
Cost is $7 for adults, $3 for
children 6-15 years old, and
free for ages 5 and younger.
Snowshoes are provided for
the guided walks, and are
available for rent for other
use.
More information: nps.
gov/olym/planyourvisit/
hurricane-ridge-in-winter.
htm