While building snow structures is a fun way to spend a sunny afternoon, it’s also a handy survival skill for those spending time outdoors in the colder months.
Grade 10 students at Hapnot Collegiate learned this on Friday, Jan. 22 as they headed outdoors to build quinzee snow shelters on the field next to the school.
A quinzee is made by hollowing out a pile of settled snow, and these shelters are often used for winter camping.
Physical education teacher Amy Olenick said the project is part of an outdoor education unit which will also include lessons on fire building.
Olenick said the students came up with their own designs and strategies to keep the buildings structurally sound. She provided a height guideline of five to seven feet and suggested that the building groups use sticks to gauge roof thickness, but other innovations came from the students themselves.
One group built their quinzee into a hill for support, and two groups decided to build a connecting tunnel between their shelters. A snow couch – for entertaining visitors – was a popular feature outside one of the quinzees.
The change of scenery also seemed to be good for class morale.
“They are all helping, and all working on a different project,” Olenick said. “Kids you’d never see working together are working together, which is nice.”
Later this year, Hapnot teacher Craig MacIntosh will be leading a full Outdoor Education class for Hapnot Collegiate and Many Faces students, where students will learn survival skills suited to the northern climate.
