Quinzhee
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A quinzhee, or quinzee, is a type of snow shelter made by making a pile of snow, waiting for it to settle together, then hollowing out the inside. In contrast, an igloo is made by carefully stacking cut blocks of snow.
[edit] Design principles
It is not difficult to make a quinzhee, though it will be warmer and stronger if certain techniques are carefully followed. For strength, the quinzhee needs to be a dome and the lower walls must not support too much weight. The walls should be very thick at the base and get slightly thinner towards to the top of the dome. Construction techniques include piling up bulky material such as backpacks to fill space, and gauging wall thickness by inserting short sticks.
For warmth, the entrance of the quinzhee should be a tunnel with an upward sloping floor such that the floor is slightly higher than the top of the entrance.
Caution: The entrance tunnel may narrow or the ceiling may even collaapse due to softening snow cause by temperatures near freezing or rain. Inhabitants of snow shelters are advised to have a snow tool available to clear blocked exits.
