A winter wonderland experience

Quinzhee building, ice bar with snofa, maple taffy, caribou, s’mores and roasted marshmallows round the campfire…sounds like a ‘once in a lifetime’ winter experience to me! And that’s exactly what this is…

Don’t be fooled, the first part of the day is tough! We kick off with a briefing from our resident action man, Jason, on the best technique to build a safe quinzhee for the purpose of survival. Then a couple of hours spent digging your quinzhee (a snow cave, similar to an igloo) is no mean feat, but hugely rewarding.

After perfecting our quinzhees, work commenced on the ice bar and snofa (sofa made of snow!), but it doesn’t end there. After a lunch break, we head out again to enjoy a well-earned drink and festivities around the campfire.

The ice bar is well stocked with Caribou (a traditional Québécois drink similar to mulled wine) and whisky for our resident Scots! We also indulged in s’mores (fire-roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two crackers) and maple taffy (maple syrup poured onto snow and then lifted with a popsicle stick) – possibly the best sugar candy you can get, all the while keeping an eye out for shooting stars.

Before you know it, we had the guitar out and a brilliant rendition of Oasis ‘Wonderwall’ was being belted out at the top of our lungs while dancing round the camp fire! Who doesn’t love a good sing along?!