Weekend Write-In Story Collection

Snow Day

In 500 words, tell a story set during a snow day. Written for the Weekend Write-In Challenge: "Snow Day" — 9-11 December 2016

I taught Mountaineering and Wilderness Leadership in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. Among my favourite aspects of these courses were the snow days. Let's look in on the first day of one.

Basic Instructions

Lorne pointed down the snow slope. "Okay, fall."

"What! Are you crazy?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"But you've just told us to fall. Here! That seems crazy to me."

"Crazy if we had no runout. Look at the bottom." Lorne nodded down the slope. "This rounds out and levels. Have you ever tobogganed?"

"Of course I have," Maria replied. "I'm Canadian."

"I'll assume you never did it down a slope emptying into a ravine or onto a freeway." He pointed down the slope again. "How does this differ from your toboggan run?"

"We're up in the mountains."

"And?" Lorne looked at her and smiled.

"And what?"

"Why does the elevation matter? It's only twenty metres to the bottom. It would be the same twenty metres at sea level."

Richard nodded. "So we fall? Then what?"

"Try to stop."

"We're already stopped. Wouldn't it be easier if we didn't fall?"

"If we all could be guaranteed we'd never fall, this exercise wouldn't be necessary. But to continue up the mountain, it's essential you know how to do a self-arrest."

"But you took our ice axes. Don't we need them to stop?"

"Yes, you do. But first, you must understand how difficult it is to stop without one. That way, you'll pay closer attention to the instruction, and you'll always be prepared to do a self-arrest."

With the ice axe instruction and practise completed, it was safe for Lorne to continue up the mountain with the group. They practised ice axe belays and step cutting to the tops of several gullies, then practised their glissade techniques on long descents until everyone was confident and comfortable moving on firm névé.

In the late afternoon, Lorne paused the group below a broad col. "Here's camp."

"Where?" Stephen looked around.

"Here." Lorne nodded toward the cornices beside them in the lee of the saddle.

"Here? In the open?"

"No, inside, it's much warmer. We should hurry, we'll be losing the sun over the ridge shortly, and it will quickly chill."

"Inside where?" Catherine turned a complete circle as she searched.

"In the snow. Do you want individual caves or a group one?"

"Caves?" Catherine asked with an eew expression.

"Yes, they're far warmer than tents up here."

"So is that why we have the folding shovels?" Maria asked.

"Yes, they make it easier than using ice axes and hands. I suggest you dig a group cave; it will be both faster and warmer."

Lorne gave instructions. "Tunnel straight in a metre and a half with a hole only large enough to crawl through, then dig straight up until you can stand. From there dig a room further into the cornice, ensuring the level of the platform is higher than the top of the entrance tunnel. That way, our heat will stay in and keep the space comfortably warm."

He pointed to the cornice. "Two of you start on the shelter." He turned. "The other two can dig a privy over there. We'll do igloos tomorrow."