Photo U.S. Army Alaska, CC BY 2.0
Snow trench
The fastest snow shelter there is: a slot dug in the snow, roofed over, out of the wind in under an hour.
What you need
- A shovel, a snowshoe or a pot lid to dig with
- A tarp, a poncho, a space blanket or a groundsheet for the roof
- Skis, poles or straight sticks to lay across the top
- A pad or a thick layer of spruce boughs for the floor
- Something bright to mark it from the air
How
- Find snow at least a metre deep, on flat ground or a gentle slope, away from anything that can slide or fall on you.
- Mark out a slot a little longer than you are tall and just wider than your shoulders.
- Dig it down about a metre, or as deep as the snow allows. Keep the sides straight.
- If the snow is shallow, pile the dug snow up along both sides to make the walls higher.
- Lay the skis, poles or sticks across the top, close together.
- Spread the tarp over them and weigh the edges down with snow. Throw a thin layer of loose snow on top to hold heat in.
- Leave one end open and dig it a step lower than the floor, so cold air runs out and down.
- Floor it with the pad or boughs, crawl in feet first, and push a stick up through the roof for a vent.
Do and don't
Do
- Take a layer off before you dig. Sweat freezes later.
- Keep the shovel inside with you in case drift closes the door.
- Mark the trench with something bright on a stick so rescuers can find it.
Don't
- Do not pile heavy snow on the roof. A thin layer is enough.
- Do not light a stove or a fire inside. See Carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Do not dig in a gully or at the bottom of a slope where snow can come down on you.
Watch for
Danger
- Fresh snow on the roof can bring it down in the night. Knock it off if it sags.
- Blowing snow can seal the door and the vent. Check both whenever you wake.
- Lying on bare snow drains heat faster than the air does. Get something under you. See Hypothermia.
Notes
A trench takes half an hour to an hour. A quinzhee takes two or three. When you are tired, wet or the light is going, dig the trench. See Snow shelter.
The smaller the space, the warmer it stays. Build it for you, not for comfort.
Updated 2026-09-29
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