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Cave Inn


The city lights of Vancouver. Photo courtesy of Tourism BC.I stood high on a dark mountain overlooking the glorious lights of Vancouver. There were few trees at this elevation on Mount Seymour, which is part of British Colombia's Coast Mountain chain. The snow-covered slopes sparkled as they rolled on up to the peak. The moon was so bright and the air so bitterly cold I could see my shadow shivering in front of me.

 

Beyond, where the city stood, the mountain dropped away into oblivion. In front of me, two dozen people slept, but I could not see them. They were peacefully sleeping on shelves deep beneath the snow, warm and unconscious to the wind that howled over this desolate environment. Only skis and snowshoes marked the entrance holes tunneled into the slope. A frozen fleece parka clung to a ski pole; too stiff to flap in the wind, it swayed rigidly. I was cold and it was time to go back inside my snow cave. Inside, I had ample room to stand up, and it was so warm that the snow walls were damp to the touch.

It was only hours earlier that I had dug my icy shelter. We had tunneled like miners into the snow, sculpturing out rooms and sleeping platforms. We had created a small village. A total of seven caves were connected by a rough path above ground and some of the caves shared under-snow passages as well. These were not survival caves either, but flashy weekend dens. Each group had tried to out-dig the others. Some of the simple one-man caves sported 6-foot ceilings and had cooking platforms – perfect for weathering out a storm. Other caves resembled a smaller version of Superman's ice home. These caves had glorious 8-foot entrance foyers where five or six people could sit and relax on benches. Above this were circular domes for sleeping. The tiny 3-foot high doorways that led to the grand foyers were designed to keep the heat in. My humble cave slept three friends in two rooms. The rooms branched off from a head-high entrance area with built-in shelves for a candle or two. The reflective qualities of snow meant that lighting the caves was incredibly efficient. In the entrance pit outside was the kitchen, sheltered by a wall of snow bricks. It accommodated three chefs with three burners and enough waist-high counter space to cook a modest meal. Behind, a bench was cut out from the snow to relax on. All of it was sheltered from the harsh wind and driving snow.

A snowy mountainside. Photo courtesy of Tourism BC.We labored for hours to ensure that this weekend backcountry trip would be spent in luxury. Digging was done in shifts. One person worked inside, pulling out blocks of snow while smoothing walls and creating more space. Another was inside the doorway throwing waste snow down the mountain, while a third kept busy excavating the kitchen. Occasionally, we would spy on others for design ideas and progress reports. The cave warmed as we burrowed ahead with shovels and hacked through ice and snow. When we excavated too close to the surface blue light would shine down from the ceiling. The outside diggers took intermittent breaks to cozy up to a warm stove. By mid-afternoon, our water was already frozen solid. The snow room, where I was busy working, got darker and darker until it was pitch black. I looked at the entrance, now filled with waste snow: I had managed to seal myself in! Completely encapsulated, I dug myself out in a panic and squeezed through the small hole.

Once all the digging and interior touches were complete, we started dinner, cooking in the shelter of the entrance and then eating inside. Afterwards, I went visiting to see the other finished designs. Some were more spectacular and efficient than others. One small cave had a stove boiling away, making it more like a steam room. A steamy warm snow cave with frozen walls? It seemed to me the laws of nature had been breached. I pictured the occupant in his bathing suit, relaxing with a towel over his shoulders and enjoying the hot steam while the cold wind stung outside. The next cave over, a fellow invited me into his beautiful domed structure to play chess. He had built a peephole to spy on the girls next door in case they decided to shed their clothes. Since it was only slightly above freezing inside, he was going to have to wait a long time for a very brief view!

 

Before bed, a group assembled to make the short hike to the first peak. The city below us was efficiently laid out in a grid and its lights sparkled up at us like stars. The moon lit up the distant mountain peaks as we shared a bottle of red wine that was starting to freeze. I could feel the ice crystals as I drank. It would be a good night tucked warmly away beneath the ice and snow.

A night in a mountaintop snowcave might be the best way to guarantee perfect powder in the morning. Photo courtesy of Tourism BC.I went back to my cave and crawled into my sleeping bag. Morning soon appeared and late risers received their wake-up call with an avalanche probe. One fellow walked on the roofs of the caves and probed through the snow, experimenting to see what a body beneath the snow would feel like. His efforts were rewarded with screams of shock, and then laughs of relief. Some awoke to find their boots and gloves were frozen so stiff they appeared to be dipped in cement. Still, the mood was happy as we packed our gear and left for the snowshoe trek home.

A week later there was no trace of our hidden world. Only slight indentations marked the entrances, nothing else but memories remained. The caves were sealed off with ice and new snow until the spring melt.

When You Go:

Warning: Snow caving is a dangerous activity. Venturing into the backcountry during the winter poses significant avalanche and hypothermia risk. Always check avalanche conditions and go with someone experienced.
 

For more BC information go to travel.bc.ca
Once all the digging and interior touches were complete, we started dinner, cooking in the shelter of the entrance and then eating inside. Afterwards, I went visiting to see the other finished designs. Some were more spectacular and efficient than others. One small cave had a stove boiling away, making it more like a steam room. A steamy warm snow cave with frozen walls? It seemed to me the laws of nature had been breached. I pictured the occupant in his bathing suit, relaxing with a towel over his shoulders and enjoying the hot steam while the cold wind stung outside. The next cave over, a fellow invited me into his beautiful domed structure to play chess. He had built a peephole to spy on the girls next door in case they decided to shed their clothes. Since it was only slightly above freezing inside, he was going to have to wait a long time for a very brief view!

Before bed, a group assembled to make the short hike to the first peak. The city below us was efficiently laid out in a grid and its lights sparkled up at us like stars. The moon lit up the distant mountain peaks as we shared a bottle of red wine that was starting to freeze. I could feel the ice crystals as I drank. It would be a good night tucked warmly away beneath the ice and snow.

A night in a mountaintop snowcave might be the best way to guarantee perfect powder in the morning. Photo courtesy of Tourism BC.I went back to my cave and crawled into my sleeping bag. Morning soon appeared and late risers received their wake-up call with an avalanche probe. One fellow walked on the roofs of the caves and probed through the snow, experimenting to see what a body beneath the snow would feel like. His efforts were rewarded with screams of shock, and then laughs of relief. Some awoke to find their boots and gloves were frozen so stiff they appeared to be dipped in cement. Still, the mood was happy as we packed our gear and left for the snowshoe trek home.

A week later there was no trace of our hidden world. Only slight indentations marked the entrances, nothing else but memories remained. The caves were sealed off with ice and new snow until the spring melt.

When You Go:

Warning: Snow caving is a dangerous activity. Venturing into the backcountry during the winter poses significant avalanche and hypothermia risk. Always check avalanche conditions and go with someone experienced.

For more BC information go to travel.bc.ca