How to Start an Emergency Fire in Winter

Starting an emergency fire in the snow-covered winter backcountry can be a challenge. You can’t build a fire directly on top of the snow, which means you need to find or create alternative support for your nascent flame.

  • Look for dry tree wells. The area immediately next to the trunk is usually the most sheltered and often snow-free or close to it. Be careful that the branches overhead are not covered with snow—it could fall and snuff out the fire.
  • Lay a bed of wet or damp branches on the snow to create a platform for building a fire. The broad needle splays of freshcut fir or hemlock branches work well.
  • Scan for other alternatives, including rock outcrops, fallen tree trunks, and exposed root balls, or other snow-free surfaces. Do not use your space blanket as a fire foundation—it will melt.

This column originally appeared in the print edition of AMC Outdoors along with the column “The Spark of Life: Fire-starting essentials for any survival kit.”

(Photograph by iStock.)


 

About the Author…

Matt Heid

Freelancer

Equipped blogger Matt Heid is AMC's gear expert: He loves gear and he loves using it in the field. While researching several guidebooks, including AMC's Best Backpacking in New England, he has hiked thousands of miles across New England, California, and Alaska, among other wilderness destinations. He also cycles, climbs, and surfs.

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