MICHELE NORRIS, host:
There is some fun to be had in a blizzard like this. We reached Cree Bol in Fort Collins, Colorado. She's an avid skier. She's even led backcountry ski trips. But today she's stranded at home, away from the slopes. But each snow has given Bol, her husband and their 7-year-old son a rare opportunity.
Ms. CREE BOL: We are building a really big quinzy in our backyard.
NORRIS: Definition required. What is a quinzy?
Ms. BOL: A quinzy is a snow cave and it's a snow cave where you build up a big mound of snow about six feet tall and then you dig into it to make an igloo kind of shelter.
NORRIS: Six feet? My goodness. Does this require a blueprint of some sort?
Ms. BOL: Nope. You just make a big, round mound and then you're going to dig in about two feet. And then you make it on the inside about four feet tall and four feet wide, and you can get almost five or six kids in there.
NORRIS: So this is not just you're out there, like, making a snowman or something like that. You're actually passing on knowledge to your son. This is a teachable moment for you.
Ms. BOL: You bet. We've been waiting for three years to have another good blizzard like this so we could build a cave and have him sleep in it so tonight we'll be pulling out our winter bags and spending the night in the backyard in our quinzy.
NORRIS: Well, while you're inside, I hope you enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa or something like that.
Ms. BOL: Thanks a lot, Michele.
NORRIS: Cree Bol lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. She's spending her day teaching her 7-year-old son how to build a quinzy. That's a snow cave and that's part of his winter survival training. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.