Getting caught in the outdoors in the winter is not only miserable (generally) it also can be deadly.

A fire helps you stay warm and you can also use it to cook food and melt ice for life-saving water. Here are some things you need to consider.

Selecting a Site

The first thing to consider when starting a fire in the snow is the site. The fire must be in a location where it is protected from the snow, as well as from wind and water. Oftentimes, people traveling in the wilderness like to start a fire under a tree. That may not work if the tree has a lot of snow burden. The warm air from the fire could cause that snow to soften and fall off the tree into the fire.

Building the Fire Pit

I’m a firm believer in putting in a stone floor for my fire pit whenever I’m making a fire in the rain or snow. By raising the fuel an inch or two above the ground and having it sit on stones, I provide the water channels to run off through. Never put the stones right up against each other when doing this, but leave a small space between them.

You need a good heat reflector when building a fire in the snow. After all, the main purpose of building the fire is to keep you warm. Adding a hefty heat reflector will help tremendously with that. A big tree, a cliff face or a large stone can work as a heat reflector.

Building Your Fire

You’ll want to build your fire in the normal way, using tinder, kindling and fuel. When gathering your fuel, try and gather some large pieces, either sections of trunk or chunks of tree stump. Those will be especially good for keeping the fire burning through the night and helping to keep you warm. Gather extra wood, as you’ll find yourself going through it faster than normal.

If your tinder and kindling are dry, you shouldn’t have much trouble starting the fire, although you might find that it takes longer than normal. Remember: You have to add more heat than normal to the tinder in order to bring it up to burning temperatures.

Getting the Most Out of Your Fire

You want to make sure that your shelter and your fire are very close together. As much as possible, build the fire right in the entrance to your tent or other shelter, always being careful to not let anything flammable or that can melt get too close to the fire. Rescue blankets in the back and roof of your shelter can help keep the heat from your fire in your shelter, keeping you warmer. I always travel with several of them so that I can capture heat in this manner. You also want to make sure you have one between you and the ground.

Once you have stabilized any crisis element of your situation, building a fire should be the first priority if you are caught in an survival scenario in winter.

Your ability to build a fire is critical, mainly because without it, you can die in a matter of hours, particularly if it is bitter cold.

To learn more on how to build a fire in winter and how to survive in the cold, please visit US Crisis Preppers.