Ultralight snow anchors
This post is about 5 g, DIY adjustable snow anchors, for pitching a tent above the treeline. They are made from aluminium can ends, plastic bottle ends or sewn polyester bags.
Introduction to my snow anchors
When I camp on deep snow I usually use large sticks as tent pegs and my tents all have large cord loops, at peg out points, around the base of the tent. These loops can accommodate the use of two or more sticks as pegs, and can easily be replaced if damaged. The sticks hold better than small metal pegs. I use similar sticks for the guy rope pullouts. In soft snow, I lay them flat in a boot hole and pack more snow over the top and gently compact it with my boot. They can be ‘kicked out’ when it is time to pack up. These cost nothing and are work better than snow tent pegs.
My DIY ‘coke can’snow anchors
Camping in the snow in trees is my preference. However, camping above the treeline is more of a challenge and sometimes we need to be prepared to do this sometimes out of choice or necessity. Under these conditions small pegs are useless.
The ‘coke can end’ anchors (as I call them) as shown in the photo below can be both light and effective, especially if a ‘T-cut’ can be made in the snow with the end of a ski (or snow shovel) to insert the anchor before compacting the snow around it. “Wide Telemark skis are best for this as well as being great for skiing!” The anchor’s tether length can be adjusted to match the guy rope length using a small cord lock or the white double hole plastic plate shown in the photo below. For more details on peg type anchors please follow the link (ultralight tent pegs)
Ultralight ‘Coke can end’ snow anchors for pitching a tent above the treeline. At 5.3 g each these are very cheap, light and strong. They need to be made carefully to make all the metal edges benign by rolling so that they will not cut the camper or the cord. Where the cord passes through the dome of the can it can be punched or pierced, from the concave side, with a sharp spike and the resulting sharp burs can be rolled over and flattened to form a benign edge that will not cut the cord. I also put a small similarly made disk of titanium foil between the holding knot and the dome, so that the knot will not pull through the soft aluminium. Alternatively, the wick holders from tea light candles make an excellent integrated cord protector and washer (as in the photo below). In this case, the hole can be a simple 3.0 mm drilled hole and the wick holder can be pushed through and flared to hold it in place and make the edges benign for the cord. It is a good job to do in front of a fire on a cold night. “You don’t need to take up drinking soft drink (or hard stuff) as there are plenty of suitable cans to be found as roadside litter.”
Snow anchor integrated washer and rope protector eyelets made from tea candle wick holders. They have been crushed a little to hold the wick, but the hole can easily be opened up with a long metal awl. They will fit through a 3 mm drilled hole and can be flared with nail point or centre punch to keep them in place and make the eyelet edge benign. The eyelet on the left has an example of the flare that can be done after insertion through the hole in the ‘can end’.
My DIY plastic bottle end snow anchor
A similar but simpler snow anchor (~5g) can be made with the bottom ends of drink bottles (photo below). The hole can be made with a hot wire and this leaves a soft benign edge that will not chafe the cord. Similarly, the cut edge of the bottle can be rounded by holding it close to a hot flame.
Plastic snow anchors made from ends of plastic drink bottles. Suitable holes for the cord can be made with a hot wire. The sharp edges of the cut section can be rounded by the use of a small flame. Coloured plastic is better as it is easier to find in the snow.
My DIY polyester sewn bag snow anchors
Another lightweight option is to sew small bags from discarded tents that abound in curbside rubbish. Small bags with sewn tie on loops that can be made from four folded layers of the same fabric. They to can be filled with a compacted snowball and buried in a ‘boot hole’ in the snow. When the covering of snow is firmly tamped down the bag will make a very strong and secure anchor.
These last snow anchors are very light and also very compact to carry and if you never need to use them then they are the best ones to carry as insurance if you should be caught out above the tree line..
Tim
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