Shelter From a Snowstorm | Primal Survivor

MAN (VOICEOVER): But even here, there's no escape from the storm. I have to get out of this freezing wind. Best I can do is just find a quick shelter behind the wind shadow of these trees.

[wind howling]

I dig down through the snow at the base of a spruce, making a hole just big enough to fit myself into. Snow is the key to keeping warm out here. Fresh snow is up to 95% trapped air, and that air acts as a powerful insulator—trapping heat and preventing it from escaping.

That's why the Cree keep it up around their temporary shelters, and why many animals survived the winters buried in snow caves. By digging down into the snow like this and then using my snowshoes to create a roof, I'm not only protecting myself from the wind, but creating an insulated air pocket where I can try to stay warm. All I can do is hunker down and wait for the storm to pass.

[music playing]

Priority right now is to keep myself warm. If this storm goes on until dark, I won't be able to build a shelter or light a fire. And without them, I will not survive through the night.

[music playing]