SNOW SHELTERS-THE CAVE, PIT AND TRENCH

Contrary to popular knowledge, or belief,based statistics of annual precipitation (rain/snow fall),Canada's Arctic is a DESERT, larger than any  to be found in the U.S.A. and probably larger than any other in the world. but, because most of us think of a desert as a 'hot dry area" and because the Arctic has no defined boundary this is not officially recognized. There is very, very little snow fall; so there are seldom any snow drifts, the only drifting being produced from old blowing snow.
The Snow Cave, or Snow- pit/Trench, Shelter is a most effective shelter, because of the insulating qualities of snow--not ice. Construction is very simple; you simply dig a cave into a deep drift of compact snow--when and if--you can find one. The idea behind the snow pit/trench shelter was undoubtedly adapted from watching wolves and sled dogs. The idea of this shelter is to get you below the surrounding ground level, below any blowing snow, below the wind level, and to use the snow's (not ice, and not densely compacted) insulating qualities.