snow shelters

You are about to discover the best season of the year for backcountry travel!

A couple books - Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills is the "bible". It is aimed mostly at climbers, but has information of use for you.

Snow Caves for Fun and Survival by Ernest Wilkinson.

If you don't have a store near you that carries these, order them from the Adventurous Traveller (www.adventuroustraveller.com).

Another source is your neighborhood Boy Scout Service Center. Look for the Okpik book (from the Northern Tier High Adventure Base in Minnesota) and the Venturing books on snow camping. You could also take the course I direct for Scout leaders on Winter and Snow Camping Activities, but you are probably in the wrong part of the country.

There are snow camping courses offered in all parts of the US with snow. Try guide services, outing clubs, local colleges and universities, and outdoor shops (EMS, REI, smaller specialty shops).

LesM, thanks for the quinzhee link. I had overlooked that one. The Princeton Outdoor Action one is the classic, of course.