Keeping Your Advantage: Terrain and You, Week III [Monday, Period 4]

[atreideslioness]

"Welcome back," Ghanima said as the students entered the Danger Shop. She was standing beside two large trunks, and the room was blank, not yet assigned an environment. "Today, we're going a bit farther north than many of you, myself included, are accustomed to."

She pressed a button on the remote, and suddenly the students would find themselves surrounded by snow and cold winds. "Welcome to the Arctic!" Ghanima said cheerfully.



She was cheating and regulating her own body temperature, which was why she seemed unbothered by the sudden change of scenery. Normally she wouldn't use her Bene Gesserit talents in such a flagrant way, but it was only for an hour, and was hardly going to lead to Abomination. "I hope you brought your mittens! For those of you that didn't..." she knelt to open the first chest, which was filled with coats, hats, mittens, and snow shoes. "Suit up."

"Long before brick or wood houses with indoor heat became commonplace, people had to be creative when building homes to protect them from nature's elements," Ghanima lectured as people got dressed. "Wealthy Europeans embraced the concept of a nearly indestructible castle built from stone. Native Americans in warmer climates favored the tepee, or tipi, made entirely of animal hides or bark."

"Unfortunately, for the inhabitants of Earth's more frigid regions, such as the Canadian tundra, neither of these were good options. Building materials were pretty much nonexistent, making it difficult to craft even the most rudimentary home. These people used the only abundant material to form a modest roof over their heads: snow. Thus, the igloo was born. The Inuit, better known to some of you as Eskimos, invented the igloo centuries ago. The igloo was a means for hunters to survive brutal winters in a vast area spanning more than 3,500 miles, including eastern Siberia, Greenland, Alaska and parts of Canada."

"Today, we will learn how to build the most basic of snow shelters," she continued. "Knowing how to make a snow trench shelter, a snow cave, or igloo can save your life in a winter survival situation. The great insulative qualities of snow can be used to help keep you warm enough to survive in even the coldest weather; but only if you know how to use the snow to your advantage."

"Only experts should try to make an igloo to spend the night in, least it collapse on you. A snow trench or cave, however, almost anyone can do," Ghanima said, quickly explaining the techniques behind making a trench. "I've provided shovels and knives for today's work, but you won't always have such equipment in the field. Snowshoes also make good digging tools, and if you're carrying a field kit, a cup or pot will also work."

"Now get to work," she said, opening the second chest to distribute tools to the class before taking a knife for herself. She wasn't going to ask the students to do something that she was unwilling to attempt herself. "Feel free to work solo or in groups. I programmed the room so that we've got one hour to dark, and you don't want to be caught out without a place to sleep."


[OCD Up!]

Comments

Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[atreideslioness]

Work alone or in groups to dig shelters into the snow, using these instructions as references.


[Warning: Both links are image-heavy for those at work. Totes WS, no dirty, but I thought I'd give ya'll a heads up.]

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[solo_sword]

And for as much as Jaina had been in these environments, she'd never had a hand in the construction. And the whole while she was digging, she couldn't help but think this would be easier with a dead tauntaun. Was that wrong?

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned over at her as he dug, thinking the same thing. "At least the wind's not blowing that hard?" he offered.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[solo_sword]

"Which I'm glad for," said Jaina. "Nothing like getting freezing windburn from a simulated room." She didn't actually know if that was possible, no.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[momslilassassin]

"Can it even do that?" Ben asked, suddenly interested.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[weetuskenraider]

"You're probably thinking it too, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, but Tahiri was still amused, in a way too bundled up way.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[solo_sword]

She didn't even need to ask. "Well, it would just make things easier," she said.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri snickered and hacked at a chunk of icy snow with her knife. "And a lot more memorable. I vote the rest of the class has to do it, though."

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Shovels? Hah! They needed no shovels. Blind Seer's paws made certain they had a trench dug out in minutes. Now, to set about creating the roof.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[future_sandworm]

This certainly seemed like a good way to go about things. Leto approached the girl and the wolf and stood there, as if he would be able to make some useful contribution.

"Have you done this before?"

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Have not," Firekeeper had to admit. "Wolves only make dens when mating," she shrugged. "So, is not a thing I have to learn."

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[future_sandworm]

Well, it seemed like Blind Seer knew. "YOu don't intend to ever find a mate?" he asked.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

Elspeth picked up a shovel and started digging a trench. She was perfectly capable of doing it herself, but a partner would also be welcome.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[heartflames.livejournal.com]

"Would you care for some assistance?"

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Elspeth smiled. "Do you have much experience with snow shelters?"

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[heartflames.livejournal.com]

"None at all, to be honest. But I do have experience with working a fair bit. I'm Eleanor."

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[endsthegame]

Ender's only experience with this kind of cold had been back when the school was still safely secured in the arctic, back when he'd arrived. Still, it was useful knowledge to have, and he took to the instructions methodically and with attention to detail. It put a strain on his muscles, a good strain, and he avoided perspiring as much as possible.

That didn't mean he'd say no to assistance, but he did need to know how to do this on his own.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela caught Ender's eye and smirked. "You seem to know what you're doing."

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[endsthegame]

"I read the manual," Ender said, looking back. "Funny, that."

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona strapped on a coat before she started working, figuring it best to cover at least her vital organs for the moment just in case the changes were more perception and less helpful than she thought. If her fingers went blue or started being less helpful, she'd put on the rest.

The instructions were rather straightforward and the snow was easy enough to work with when she put an edge on her tools. She was doing all right on her own, but she wouldn't mind help at all.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

If he had had his sword, he could have had the trench dug in seconds. As it was, he thought it was probably best to work with someone else.

"May I help?" he asked her.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She nodded.

"Of course. How was your weekend?"

She passed him one of the shovels.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah tromped over to an open spot, and started digging. "How deep do we want to make this?" she asked Zack.

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[puppy_fair]

"Deep enough for you, at least," Zack decided, taking his shovel and starting to dig alongside her. "We could just start digging and keep going right up until class ends, if that keeps you warmer."

Zack? Still not cold. Freak!

Re: Activity: Make Your Shelter!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Or until our arms fall off," Dinah said, still feeling the bruises from last night's spar with Jen. "But yeah, at least three feet, I guess?" She started digging across, trying to figure out how wide they'd want it. "And are you still warm because of that Mako stuff? Sooo not fair, brrrr."