"Just so you can tell your friends that you did it!" Come to the snow country and sleep in your own, self built snow cave. This is an extremely safe, medium strenuous but wildly adventurous activity.!
Learn to build a snow cave in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains of California! This is completely safe, fun, and active way to learn more about winter camping and enjoy the outdoors. We will start the trip with one night at a cozy mountain lodge, with the 2nd day and night being spent in a nearby meadow in your very own snow cave (additional lodging may be reserved for those who do not wish to sleep in the snow).
We will arrive on Friday evening at the Claire Tappaan Lodge High Sierra hostel where we stay for the night. Friday night's activities will include introduction, some instruction in snow cave building, and a gear check. If we have time we may take a short, nighttime winter jaunt along a local cross country track. In the morning a short, 30 minute snow walk from the back door of the Lodge takes us to the meadow where we will spend the night. The day is spent selecting a site, piling snow and digging out a one, two or three person cave for the night's rest.
Two adults can create a snow cave in about 3 hours, children about twice that. Spare time will be spent on an afternoon or evening snow hike as well as some additional winter survival skills instruction. Bedtime is early, as night fall is early as well. Sleep in the cave as warm as toast. Sunday is spent collapsing the caves and taking a leisurely hike out amongst the beautiful Sierras.
