...and glad to see you all still out there, too!

Been a bit busy with new family, baby, etc. - not out camping as much as I'd like but we did get baby out for snowshoeing several times already this winter (Lassen, Yosemite, Aspen CO area).

Here we are at Winterfest, visiting with Duane and all the others (for the record, though I like solo travel, I'm part of the group that builds these snow kitchens and it's something I look forward to on every group trip):



A little late on the main topic here, but I have tried all of the different kinds of snow shelters mentioned (and one or two not), and completely agree re snow caves. For serious mountaineering, I suppose knowing how to make snow caves is good skill to have at your disposal, but for general snow camping, I'd say of little real use.

Same with quinzees and igloos - I was on a trip with some folks in Yellowstone in the dead of winter several years back, and the others were using Igloo Ed's grand shelters tool to make igloos. They took hours to build - exhausting, even with the tool and its form/arm for consistently placing blocks in a spiral (I helped build the first one). I happily slept in my tent, even at -14°, and disliked the muffled, stuffy, wet inside of the igloo. I suppose where they might stand out as more practical is if you're creating a base camp for several nights' use, or for use over a season.

Trenches are another story - fast enough to build quickly and comfortable in some situations. I've used them with bivy sacks and found it workable. Tree wells or spruce shelters like Jim posted certainly make sense as emergency shelters in forested areas.

My favorite remains a good four-season tent, or, in spring snow conditions where I know we won't have a blizzard, a nice ultralight three-season tent, tarptent or hammock. Fast to set up, and at least for a true four-season tent, safe and comfy. Plus, unlike the snow caves and quinzees and igloos, they let you hear the sounds of animals, wind, birds, soft snow falling on the fabric...to me, part of the joy of being out there.