http://findout.rei.com/blog_detail/?contentid=9193559069835546145



This time around, Lonnie will be taking much the same approach as he did on his first attempt, with just a few changes. "I'm going extra light this year," Lonnie said. "I had everything I needed last year and everything went really well, just the weather didn't cooperate above 17,000 feet. I'm going with the same kind of method of attack on the mountain except I'm quite a bit lighter this year."

The biggest weight savings comes in the amount of food he is carrying. Last year, Lonnie carried 2 lbs. of food per day. This year, he's cut that back to about 1.3 lbs. per day, and when you figure that he's packing enough food to last him until the first few days of February, that adds up to significant weight savings.


....


Another way Lonnie chooses to save weight is by not bringing a tent. That's right, no tent. Each night that he is on the mountain, Lonnie will hunker down in a snow cave constructed with his shovel and snow saw. According to Lonnie, snow caves are "warmer, quieter and safer than tents."

"According to Lonnie, snow caves are "warmer, quieter and safer than tents."

Absolutely true.

Remember to pack your gnarly.

--B.G.--

I can see his point on snow caves versus tents. Yeah, much longer to construct, but when things get bad, you REALLY would rather be in a snow cave than a tent. Start in a tent, get some -40 temps and 80 mph wind and it's now very risky to switch to a snow cave.

In a tent for a week, there's nothing productive to do but file your nails again and pull out your own nose hairs. But one can endlessly amuse themselves fine-tuning a snow cave. Heck, my grade-schoolers go at it for hours sometimes.

Caves, trenches, quinzhees, it's all "Location, location, location."
And time to dig them.

Snow caves are a lot of fun to dig. I'm going to be one for a couple nights this weekend.....a great way to spend the new years.

If time is tight, a simple snow trench is pretty quick to construct if you just need a spot to sleep. Put a tarp over the top or use some snow blocks.

Snow is 10% water, 90% air, hence the excellent insulation qualities of it. I sleep comfortably in a quigloo (where it's 1-2 degrees above freezing), but whenever I sleep in a tent I freeze my a** off...

Yeah, those snow caves are all fun and good, until the ice worms wriggle out in the dark.

Those things can get up to 50 feet long... Just ask Robert Service.

Seriously though, qhuinzees and snow caves are a good thing.