The construction of my snow fort required a lot of time and labor, but, in the end, it came out the way I intended and I learned a great deal along the way.
When I learned that our assignment for this weekend was to construct a snow shelter, the first thing that I did was research. Through this research, I learned how to make my structure sturdy and durable, and thus was able to avoid any sort of collapse which would have been extremely dangerous if I had been inside.
The first thing that I did when building my fort was pile snow into the rough shape of a dome. Most of this work was already done for me because I had my dad direct the snowblower so that it created a pile. After this, I just had to compact this snow and smooth it out. Also, when doing this, I made sure that the pile's diameter was wide enough to fit at least one person. Next, I dug a rough entrance into the pile. I did not go far, only about 1-2 feet, and then I poured water all over the exterior of the snow pile and smoothed the snow once again. I let this freeze overnight. By letting the wet and compacted snow freeze and harden overnight, I was able to strengthen the structure as a whole and prevent it from collapsing on me as I dug further. The next day, I dug the rest of the way into the pile and began to shape the inside so it had the rough shape of a dome. I had to make sure that I did not carve too far into the walls, however, because this would weaken the structure and make the risk of collapse that much higher. Lastly, I cleared all of the snow out of the fort and spread out a tarp on the ground so that I would be able to sit inside without having to sit on the cold ground.
My snow fort was not easy to construct by any means, but it served its purpose. My snow fort protected me from the wind and therefore was much warmer than the outside, and I think it is safe to say that it would be able to adequately protect someone from the elements and keep them alive.
When I learned that our assignment for this weekend was to construct a snow shelter, the first thing that I did was research. Through this research, I learned how to make my structure sturdy and durable, and thus was able to avoid any sort of collapse which would have been extremely dangerous if I had been inside.
The first thing that I did when building my fort was pile snow into the rough shape of a dome. Most of this work was already done for me because I had my dad direct the snowblower so that it created a pile. After this, I just had to compact this snow and smooth it out. Also, when doing this, I made sure that the pile's diameter was wide enough to fit at least one person. Next, I dug a rough entrance into the pile. I did not go far, only about 1-2 feet, and then I poured water all over the exterior of the snow pile and smoothed the snow once again. I let this freeze overnight. By letting the wet and compacted snow freeze and harden overnight, I was able to strengthen the structure as a whole and prevent it from collapsing on me as I dug further. The next day, I dug the rest of the way into the pile and began to shape the inside so it had the rough shape of a dome. I had to make sure that I did not carve too far into the walls, however, because this would weaken the structure and make the risk of collapse that much higher. Lastly, I cleared all of the snow out of the fort and spread out a tarp on the ground so that I would be able to sit inside without having to sit on the cold ground.
My snow fort was not easy to construct by any means, but it served its purpose. My snow fort protected me from the wind and therefore was much warmer than the outside, and I think it is safe to say that it would be able to adequately protect someone from the elements and keep them alive.
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