In this epic snow year of 2017, summer backpackers may find themselves pitching their tent in snow. If that happens, they will quickly discover that regular tent pegs will pop right out of the snow. I’m no snow expert (unless I’m on skis) but this year I’ve started to acquire some snow backpacking skills. First I took a snow hiking skills class with Ned Tibbits of Mountain Education to learn how to use an ice axe, Whippet and crampons. Then I went on a two-night snow backpacking trip in Desolation Wildernss in Tahoe that was 95% on snow. It was during this trip that Karin Schwartz showed me a few tricks about how to set up a tent in snow.
Tent staked out in snow at Lake of the Woods in Desolation Wilderness (Tahoe)
You can buy special snow stakes, but this procedure uses twigs. When you try to dig up the stake, you’ll see the benefit of using twigs. They hold up well enough in the snow but when you’re ready to break camp, you can pull the cord out, break the twig and just leave it behind since it’s part of nature. Otherwise, you’ll be using a shovel to dig out each metal or plastic stake. Swearing might be involved as you chip away at the solid ice block encasing your stake.
When I ran out of cord for the last tie-down, I found that the bungee worked well in the same fashion. I had used a bungee cord to lash my snowshoes to my pack, so it was available at camp. I hooked one end to the tent and slid a twig into the hook at the other end. I buried the twig in the snow. However, I found that it was harder to pull out in the morning, requiring the use of the shovel.
Equipment
Procedure
Photo Essay
Tie one end of the cord to the loop of the tent
Tie the other end to a twig
Make a trench big enough for the stake to fit horizontally. I used a snowshoe here to dig the trench.
Slide the twig into the trench
Step on the snow to compress it
Wait 15 minutes and cord will be set in frozen snow
A bungee cord can work in a pinch
Tent staked out at Lake of the Woods
Previous Post
Karin says:
Hello. Great blog. I would recommend not tying the rope to the twig — just loop it underneath. Then bury the twig with the rope looped underneath it in the little snow trench as you noted fill with snow, and stamp on it. The snow will refreeze and hold your snow anchor.
Then when it is time to take down your tent, you just untie your rope and lift the rope out of the snow, leaving the twig still buried. Easier than having to try to pull out the twig. The benefit to using twigs from the surrounding area is that you can leave them buried in snow … you don’t have to pull them out … you just need to pull the rope out, which you can do if it is not tied to anything. If you tie your rope to the twig, though, you will have to pull the whole thing out to reclaim your rope (LNT), which can be difficult.
Thanks.
Vincent says:
Picking up a few pointers for my hike upcoming weekend as weather is predicted to get a little snowy. Good tips.