Quinzhees: Warm Memories From a Cold Winter

As the temperature plummets and cabin fever sets in, it’s no wonder that Manitobans sometimes find it difficult to enjoy the outdoors during winter. When the toboggans eventually get tiresome and the skates begin to wear, kids and adults alike scramble for new and exciting outdoor adventures. Enter the art of quinzhee construction. Add some blue skies, a day off from school or work and a few layers of sweat-wicking, heat-trapping clothes and you’ve got the makings of a perfect winter weekend.

Quinzhees for the Whole Family

Q: Where can a couple of siblings and all of their best friends celebrate a birthday, burn off some energy outside and warm up afterwards with a hot chocolate?
A: At the same place even a responsible parent or grandparent can have tons of fun: The FortWhyte Alive Centre’s Quinzhee Building Workshop.

Each February, a few volunteers gamely brave the cold and teach a group of eager students how to build a family-friendly quinzhee. By targeting children and their parents, this come-and-go-afternoon aims to turn a simple snow fort approach into well-planned, solidly constructed snow shelter. Families learn the importance of each step without getting overly caught up in the physics behind it.

Centre staff is organized ahead of time by preparing a few quinzhees, each at different stages of completion. The finished shelter allows students to crawl inside, test its warmth and strength and use it as a model for making their own. Another partially completed mound shows the few initial steps, such as preparing the site, creating the snow pile and using markers for depth measurement. Finally, for those wanting some exercise, a pile of shovels and an open field are readily available for a start-to-finish quinzhee.

The instructors are always willing to lend a hand and provide some useful information. They are very knowledgeable about winter weather, shoveling techniques and snow handling. During a break, they would be happy to point out any winter wildlife, lead an Inuit game or even walk a child through the woods to find the washroom. Since there are always two or more volunteers on duty, safety is a top priority.

FortWhyte offers much more than its bison herd, sod house and environmental presentations. This workshop is designed to teach families a new skill, provide an opportunity for fresh air and sunshine and show that February can be an active month. So the next time the winter blues set in, round up the neighbourhood kids for a fun-filled afternoon of building quinzhees.

Contact: Renée Olafson-Dyck, Education Coordinator, FortWhyte Alive, 1961 McCreary Rd., Winnipeg, MB, R3P 2K9, (204) 989-8358, info@fortwhyte.org, fortwhyte.org

Directions: Take Pembina Hwy south until you reach McGillivray Blvd. Turn west and drive until you see the FortWhyte turnoff. Turn north at McCreary Rd. Turn east at centre sign, through gated fence. Drive past several buildings until parking lot is reached, at end of road. Reception will provide foot directions to quinzhee building site.

Registration: None required. Workshop included in general admission price.

Cost: adults $6, seniors $5, students & children $4, members & children under 3 free (includes access to visitor centre, does not include price of food or drink)

Quinzhees for Survival Enthusiasts

Q: Where can you playfully leg-wrestle an opponent, eat well-done beaver meat and sleep comfortably outdoors in -15 °C weather?
A: At the same place you can learn dozens of names for different types of snow, listen to stories of Arctic survival and try on Inuit clothing: The Northern Lifestyles & Winter Survival Workshop at the Delta Marsh Field Station.

Husband-and-wife team Dr. Jill Oakes and Dr. Rick Riewe, both University of Manitoba professors, have co-instructed this course for over twenty years. They bring expertise in northern cultures and outdoor survival to a group of students that range from biologists to military personnel to nurses. Techniques are taught through lectures, discussions, presentations and field work. Based on the aboriginal perspective that each person has a gift to offer, all abilities, ages and backgrounds are welcome to participate.

Held over two days and nights of a January weekend, the two main activities include an igloo and quinzhee construction. Students are taught the importance of snow handling and carving, the art of trapping heat in the snow shelters and the use of animal skins and furs in creating a comfortable sleeping environment. Those willing to brave the winds off Lake Manitoba can voluntarily sleep in their own igloos for one night. Making friends is easy when you’re curled up against them to conserve body heat!

All meals are provided (indoors) at the field station’s mess hall. Each breakfast, lunch and dinner is warm and filling after a full day of exercise and fresh air. Conventional dishes such as soups and sandwiches are served alongside more traditionally Inuit meats such as rabbit. These gatherings are full of good cheer when Jill and Rick prompt each participant to offer a contribution to the daily topic. Funny stories combined with delicious food make for excellent camaraderie.

Students come away from this workshop with a newfound appreciation of northern cultures and all that it can provide for those surviving in cold climates. Recognizing the look and feel of certain types of snow, keeping warm by layering modern-day technology with traditional skin clothing and knowing vital components to a survival kit are all skills that participants learn. Quinzhees can be much more than snow forts—they are carefully constructed shelters built on centuries of Inuit wisdom.

Contact: Heidi den Haan, Assistant Director, Delta Marsh Field Station, 1-866-770-5372, hdenhaan@cc.umanitoba.ca, umanitoba.ca/faculties/science/delta_marsh

Directions: Take the Trans-Canada Highway #1 to Portage la Prairie. Continue into the city center on #1A (Saskatchewan Ave.) and turn north at Highway 240 (Tupper Street). Continue on #240 to the STOP sign (about 15 km north of Portage), then turn west (left) onto Highway 227. Keep traveling west, proceeding off the pavement and through the village of Oakland. DO NOT FOLLOW #240 TO DELTA BEACH. Travel about 7 km further to the Assiniboine River Diversion bridge. Turn north (right) immediately after the bridge onto Field Station Road and travel about 7 km, turning onto Donald Bain Drive to the Field Station. Watch for large posted signs along Field Station Road indicating the turn off to Donald Bain Drive. See website for map.

Registration: The workshop is held twice a year, usually on consecutive weekends in January. Reserve your spot early as the class fills quickly and the student limit is approximately 30. See website for a list of gear to bring.

Cost: $155 per individual, $125 per individual if registering as student or family (includes registration, instruction, room and board, does not include transportation)

Quinzhee Instructions

1. Look for snow that is dry and powdery.

2. Choose an area away from roads, thin ice and vehicles.

3. Trample a circle in the snow and all the snow within. The size of the circle
should vary with the number of people that will sleep in the quinzhee at one time.

4. Using a small shovel, throw snow to create a mound as high as the tallest person.

5. Remove the point off the mound with a shovel to reduce ceiling weight.

6. Disturb the mound by hitting it with a shovel to stabilize it.

7. “Pin-cushion” the mound by inserting ski poles or sticks at least 12 inches long along the walls and about 8 inches along the ceiling. They will be the guide when hollowing out the mound.

8. Let it rest as long as possible, ideally overnight and at least a few hours.

9. While waiting, play Inuit games, change clothes and keep hydrated.

10. Dig a door away from the windy side. Make it as small as possible so that heat is trapped more easily inside. Stroke downward and then upward to create an entrance. Use careful inward and upward strokes of the shovel to create the main area. Always dig on your hands and knees so that in case the quinzhee caves in, a pocket of air will remain underneath you. A friend will then have a few seconds to pull you out.

11. Using an arcing stroke, shave snow away from the walls and ceiling to create a dome shape. This will keep the structure strong.

12. Use removed snow to create entrance walls, designed to minimize the amount of wind that blows into the quinzhee.

13. If any areas appear bluish, this means they are thinner than the rest of the quinzhee. Reinforce them with pats of snow.

14. Carve a few small air holes, one at the base of a wall and the other at the top of the ceiling. This is especially important if several people will be sleeping in the quinzhee.

15. Smooth out the floor with hands.

16. Decorate it with coloured water, a flag or other marker for visibility.

17. Carve out a block of snow to create a doorway. A large pack combined with a tarp also will work in a pinch.

18. Enjoy! Quinzhees are only useful for sleeping for one or two nights since they aren’t as stable as igloos.

19. Destroy it when you are finished, so that it does not become a danger to children or wildlife.