Preparing a Shelter
- Start preparing your camp well before dark. Look for a natural shelter, such as a rock overhang or a thick stand of evergreens. The site should be dry and well drained and should offer protection from the wind. Ideally, it also should be near water and plenty of firewood.
- Consider laying out your shelter site so that your snowmobile will be visible by a rescue aircraft.
- If no natural shelter is available, you can build a lean-to. A lean-to is constructed by leaning branches against a horizontal support to form a roof.
- Orient the opening of the lean-to away from the wind.
- Cover the frame with evergreen branches to block out wind or precipitation (or use a tarp if you brought one). Leaves and twigs are another option.
- For additional protection, add side walls to the lean-to and insulate the floor with evergreen branches or leaves.
- Place your snowmobile in the shelter's opening to act as a wind break.
