>>279364For one, they're REALLY difficult to get out of.
There's a lot of air space in the branches/snow, so you're left moving a ton of snow and branches to clear out enough space. Needlessly expending energy is not recommended in a survival or limited/rationed-supply scenario.
And it still leaves the whole issue of getting up and out.
The other thing is all the snow on top of the tree, that you don't dig out. This shit called "gravity" will bring that snow down on top of you while you're under the tree, making for a really uncomfortable/wet night.
You're much better off learning how to dig a snow cave.
Protip: Make the inside ceiling surface slightly curved (like a contact lens), and as smooth as possible. Once you're in there, even just your body heat alone will melt the snow on top and turn it into ice.
If you've got lumps in that ceiling, you're going to get dripped on. Making the ceiling smooth makes the drips slide down to the edges.
The curvature also strengthens the ceiling surface.
Just got back from a race, doing avalanche/survival education. This stuff's fresh in my mind.
Doing an on-the-snow avalanche course next weekend. Bring a beacon/shovel/probe/airbag if you have one, and your snowmobile.
Pic kinda related, shot this one earlier this afternoon.
