🏔️🛏️

The Himalayas — Dormitory Shade

A 68'×122' shade mountain over the sleeping village. One edge rides the semi's keder rail, the roof flies 75 ft downwind to David's big poles, and ALPS-style cables + guyed 4×4s carry the rest. Camp Contact's legendary design, Turtle-hybridized. 🐢

🔥 top ship priority · keder rail installed ✅ · welded stakes done ✅ · Jarrett's crew on it
68×122 ft
footprint
13–13.5 ft
keder edge
2× 20 ft
aluminum poles
~1000
spring hooks
1
detail-obsessed lead

🐢 What's different for Terrible Turtle (read this first!)

The pure ALPS/Himalayas is a free-standing 2×2 grid of nine guyed 4×4 posts (116'×116'). Ours is a hybrid: one whole edge hangs from the keder rail on the 53-ft semi (installed ✅ by Jarrett's crew at ~13–13.5 ft), the roof sweeps 75 ft downwind to two 20-ft aluminum poles, and the fabric grounds at 60° about 20 ft past them. ALPS-style guyed posts + steel cables handle the sides and field.

1

The Whole System at a Glance

read me first
SEMI 8×53 ft KEDER RAIL @ 13–13.5 ft · installed ✅ 2× 20-FT ALUMINUM POLES (bought from David — he brings them) shade fabric roof 60° fabric grounds ~20 ft past poles ALPS-style guyed 4×4s + steel cable carry the sides you 75 ft downwind THE HIMALAYAS — SEMI-HYBRID PROFILE · dorm footprint 68×122 ft
  • The fabric is a tension membrane — it's not draped, it's stretched. Every part below exists to hold that tension without anything ripping or walking in the wind.
  • Load path: fabric → spring hooks → steel cables (and the keder rail) → posts → ratchet straps → stakes → playa. Respect each link and the mountain stands all week.
  • Poles don't hold the roof down — they push it UP ~15–20 ft so the profile sheds wind and the shade breathes.
  • Raising takes 4–8 hours of main build + 1–2 hours of tweaking. 2–3 people can do it; 8–12 make it fly.
Whole-doc rule: if you're leading this build, read Eric's full ALPS/Himalayas doc, not just this guide — the theory is what saves you when playa improvisation starts. Credits + contact at the bottom. 🐢
2

Pick a Lead + Learn the Trucker's Hitch

before anything else
1 · SLIPKNOT 2 · THROUGH & UP 3 · PULL 3:1 + LOCK pull a BIGHT through — not the end (quick release later) anchor / stake ring working end UP through the bight PULL — 3:1 advantage finish: 2 half-hitches
  • Agree on ONE detail-oriented Lead. The Lead inspects every area built, owns daily maintenance (~5 min/day, sometimes 30), and owns final packing + inventory. Congrats — it's you now. Check people's work. 🙂
  • The Trucker's Hitch (slipknot variation) is THE knot for this structure — a 3:1 pulley out of thin air, adjustable, quick to release. Everyone on harness or tiedown duty should be able to tie it half-asleep at dawn in a whiteout.
  • Practice at the Gulch with the actual line. Ten reps and it's in your hands forever.
Why the slipknot variation? Pulling a bight (a folded loop) through — never the free end — means the whole knot falls open with one tug at strike. Leave No Trace includes no abandoned knot-welds. 🐢
3

Stage the Parts

✅ in hand · 🛒 to buy · 🎁 David brings
4×4×8 postseye bolts @ 7'6" 3/16" 7×19 cablethimbles + swages 2" ratchet strapsw/ loops · 16+ circus stakes 1"×40"2840DH · 30× ✅ done 7/21 welded-washer stakes60 + ≥8 plain pins spring hooks 3/16"~1000 (!) + 50 big shade panels 52×52roofs + 52×8.5 sides aluminum polesDAVID BRINGS 🎁 bowl pole-capsconfirm w/ David ⚠️
  • 4×4×8 posts — grade 1–2, straightest and least-knotted you can find, NOT pressure-treated (PT is weaker — the only 3 posts Eric has seen fail were PT and steep-guyed). Drill for eye bolts at 7'6" one way, ~¾" lower the other.
  • Steel cables — 3/16" 7×19 galvanized aircraft cable, built with a thimble + 4 swage sleeves (or 3 wire clips) + seizing wire on the tail. 51'7" finished length has worked on recent builds; cables should sit ~2" outside the flat-lying fabric.
  • Ratchet straps — 2" heavy-duty with loops. 3 per corner post + 1 per side post, plus extras and a couple of temp straps per crew.
  • Stakes — circus stakes 1"×40" (Pioneer 2840DH, 30×) for structural posts; our welded-washer concrete stakes are DONE ✅ 7/21 (60 welded, ≥8 left plain as location pins, orange tops). Stake puller: Pioneer 230 class — possibly borrow David's.
  • Spring hooks — ~1000 of the 3/16" zinc ones + ~50 larger for the stubborn last grommets. Yes, a thousand. They vanish like ice at noon.
  • Poles — 🎁 David brings them (we bought them from him). If you're forking pure ALPS: aluminum camo-net poles ONLY, never fiberglass ("light duty" WILL fail — one camp lost 5 poles on a calm night).
Pre-build at the Gulch: cut all harness lines to length, label each with tape, coil separately, bag per-harness in gallon ziplocks. Future-you on a ladder at 9am will weep with gratitude.
4

Survey & Layout

1 hr · 2–3 🐢
SEMI 8×53 — keder edge pole positions — 75 ft downwind of semi fabric-to-ground line (~20 ft past poles) — stake row guyed 4×4s paracord template diagonals EQUAL ±inches 122 ft 68 ft PLAN VIEW — not to scale · final numbers from David's map on survey day
  • Square everything off the semi. Park it first (per the camp map), then the keder edge becomes your baseline — every measurement runs off that rail.
  • Paracord template trick: pre-tie a square of paracord with both diagonals (for a 52' square, diagonals are 73.5'). Lay it taut on the playa and the corners literally point at your post positions.
  • No template? Measure the diagonals between corner marks — equal within a few inches = square.
  • Mark every post position, drop a plain (unwelded) location-pin stake at each, and lay the cables out between marks before any post goes up.
Numbers honesty: footprint 68×122, poles 75 ft downwind, grounds ~20 ft past — these come from David's map and don't all reconcile to the inch on paper. The survey answers to the map and to David on build day, not to this drawing. 🐢
5

Set the Posts — the Safety Step

the one to get RIGHT
🚫 NO STAKES CLOSER THAN 10 FT — a camp at 6 ft CRACKED 3 POSTS 4×4 post 2 toward the cable lines 1 through-post, to square center 12 ft 3 STRAPS PER CORNER POST · STAKES ≥ 10–12 FT OUT STAKE ANGLE ✅ vertical ok ≤5–10° ✗ 45° NO EYE BOLT @ 7'6" eye – washer – POST – washer – eye nut all TIGHT, aligned so load cannot bend the bolt
  • One person holds the post upright on its location pin. Connect 3 ratchet straps: 2 to the eye bolts, 1 looped over the post (keep looped straps off the bolt threads so they don't fray).
  • Drive the 3 permanent stakes ~12 ft out — two in the direction of the cable lines, one pointing through the post toward the square's center.
  • Drive stakes vertical. If your ratchet geometry really wants an angle, 5–10° max. Never 45°, never perpendicular to the strap — angled stakes pull out of soft playa.
  • Temp-strap trick: loop a temporary strap over the post (above the permanent ones), run it to a temp stake, and the post stands alone — no human statue required. Remove all temps once the square is cabled.
  • Attach the steel cables to the post, then repeat for every post. The center-field posts take less load — medium stakes are fine there.
  • Swinging sledges: try not to hit the ground or set the stake vibrating — both weaken the playa's grip.
DO NOT GO CLOSER THAN 10 FT. Close stakes add upward pull-out force AND extra bending load on the post — a camp that staked at 6 ft cracked THREE posts. 10 ft is the floor; ~12 ft is the ALPS standard. This is the line Terri will bite you over. 🐢🦷
6

Cables Up + Square Check

2–3 🐢 per square
measure BOTH diagonals equal within a few inches = square cables @ 7'6" · 51'7" worked on recent builds ratchet until cables are pretty taut — re-check square AFTER tensioning our hybrid: the semi's keder edge replaces one whole cable run — square the field off the rail
  • Shackle the cables to the eye bolts/eye nuts (1/2" screw-pin shackles — oversized on purpose, they're easier to work with gloves on).
  • Pull the temporary straps and stakes.
  • Re-measure the diagonals — tensioning shifts things. Equal within a few inches, or adjust ratchets until it is.
  • Ratchet until the cables are pretty taut — firm handshake, not guitar string. Final tension comes after the fabric loads them.
  • Repeat for each square of the field, always working off the keder baseline.
David's hybrid note: the semi's rail replaces an entire cable run on that edge — fewer posts, fewer stakes, one very large immovable anchor. That's why the semi parks FIRST and parks EXACTLY where the map says.
7

Attach the Roof Panels

many hands! 🐢🐢🐢
steel cable 52×52 roof panel — spread it out UNDER the square first ✗ skip the cornermost few grommets if too tight — corners carry too much stress ALL HOOKS SAME DIRECTION · OPENING FACING DOWN
  • Go/no-go check: only start if there's time today to raise ALL the tops and sides — they support and tension each other. A half-hung roof overnight is a kite, not a shade.
  • Spread each 52×52 panel out under its square, spring-hook openings facing the ground.
  • Clip every grommet to the cable — small end of the hook through the grommet, opening facing down, all hooks the same direction. Uniform hooks = fast strike and no mystery snags.
  • Use the larger spring hooks for the last stubborn foot of each panel.
  • Skip the cornermost few grommets if they're fighting you — corners carry too much stress anyway (the fabric has no corner hole for exactly this reason).
Grommet spec (for forkers cutting fresh fabric): tape all edges, brass grommets every 12" on tops — none AT the corner, extra hole 6" from each end. Sides: every 1' top, every 2' on the ends, every 1' on the ground edge.
8

Hang the Sides

1–8 🐢 · fast
cable @ 7'6" 52 × 8.5 ft side — hangs from cable, slants outward start hooks 3" in from each end = a little slack bottom edge NOT staked yet — that comes after the roof is up
  • Spread the 52'×8.5' side panels along their edges and hook them to the cables, grommet by grommet, hooks facing down.
  • Start ~3" in from each end — that tiny slack is what lets the side pull out to its 60° slant later without tearing at the first grommet.
  • Do NOT stake the bottoms yet. Sides get grounded after the roof is up (step 10), so the whole membrane tensions as one system.
9

Raise the Roof

the big moment 🏔️ · gloves on
roof pushed up ~15 ft 4 segments ≈ 15 ft bowl assembly cap (confirm w/ David) guy ring 28' → next pole's ring 2× 20' → steel cables 17' corner line — adjust after sides are grounded lift 5 ft ⬆ buddy slots next segment in 🧤 GLOVES ON — always base: carpet square / wood + rebar (ALPS) · ours: David's yellow bases + welded-washer stake nails THE SPREADER-POLE HARNESS — ONE UPRIGHT UNIT THE WIND CAN'T WALK
  • Gloves for every person handling pole segments. Non-negotiable. Aluminum edges + tension + dust = playa manicure you don't want.
  • Stage each pole's parts ~13 ft in from the sides. Dry-fit all segments — surplus poles occasionally refuse each other.
  • 8+ people (easier/faster): assemble every pole's top half (cap, segment, guy ring, segment), attach the full harness on the ground, then all crews lift together — one person lifts ~5 ft, buddy slots the next segment in, repeat ×2.
  • 2 people (one pole at a time): raise pole 1, guy it to a cable immediately (an unstabilized pole falls when pole 2 goes up), then work around clockwise, temporarily guying each.
  • If the last segment won't seat, walk the base ~1 ft diagonally toward the roof center and try again — geometry gives you the slack.
  • Angle pole tops slightly outward into the corners — better wind profile, less fabric stress. Finish the harness from the tall A-frame ladder; trucker's hitches make the lengths adjustable (you'll re-trim the 17' corner lines after step 10).
  • Bases: ALPS uses carpet squares or wood + rebar so poles don't wander or auger in. Ours: David's yellow bases, nailed down with our welded-washer stakes.
David's mod, one more time: no petal spreaders — his poles replace them, and he's bringing them. The bowl-style cap shown is the parts-list interface; confirm the actual pole-top hardware with David before fabricating anything.
Harness lengths (28' pole-to-pole, 2×20' to the side cables, 17' corners) are "pretty flexible" per Eric — ours may differ with the keder hybrid and 20-ft poles. Cut long, label, adjust with hitches.
10

Ground the Sides

1–8 🐢 · loops, never grommets
side panel — bottom edge ✗ NEVER through grommet or fabric ✅ stake through the PARACORD LOOP every 12–18"
  • Start at a corner: pull the side straight out ~8 ft from the cable — a clean 60° slant and a nice entry into the space.
  • Stake through the paracord loops ONLY — never through a grommet, never through fabric. Loops spread the stress, add a little length, and keep fabric out of the mud.
  • Work down the side, pulling somewhat taut, staking every 12–18". More connections = less stress per point.
  • Shift spring hooks along the cable if a section needs repositioning; at corners you can weave cord through the hooks around the cable to share the load and stop rings tearing out.
  • Loop prep (Gulch homework): ~1 ft of paracord through grommets every ~3', tied off — from a 500–1000 ft spool.
David's hardware call: he skips J-stakes — his lane is spike nails + tie-down rings through the staking loops (the ALPS doc literally name-checks "Naked Heart" on that option 😄). Staking loops are one of his stated non-negotiables — build them exactly as specced. Forkers: 10" J-stakes or 10" lags through loops work great too.
11

Calm the Cables (Anti-Oscillation)

ALPS wisdom · ours: see David note
EXTERIOR MIDSPAN SUPPORT (windward) line/ratchet down to 18" J-hook stake 2×4 pushes cable UP INTERIOR CABLE TIEDOWN OFFSET the stake a few feet — never pull straight up on it aluminet pulls interior cables UP — tie them down trucker's-hitch everything taut · watch each wall in the first big wind
  • Interior cables get tied DOWN: the fabric pulls them up, so run a line or light ratchet from cable to an 18" J-hook stake (or playa staple), offset several feet so it never pulls straight up on the stake. Trucker's hitch, tighten, done.
  • Windward exterior spans get pushed UP: a 2×4 (or spare pole/EMT) with hooks at 7'6" traps the cable mid-span, plus a line down to a stake. Usually ~4 sides need it; all sides = peace of mind.
  • If a downwind side is only being lifted (not slammed), a simple stake + cord below its center is enough.
  • Watch every wall during the first real blow — whichever one oscillates is the one asking for support.
David, 7/2: "We don't do midspan supports because our system doesn't require it." So for Terrible Turtle this step is mostly a knowledge keep — but if a span starts singing in a storm anyway, now you know the ALPS field fix. Ask David before adding hardware to his system.
12

Final Checks + the Week

5 min/day · after every storm
plumb ✅ level on two faces posts take load best STRAIGHT up-and-down — adjust ratchets, or loosen + tap the base with a sledge 5 minutes. every day. and after every blow. 🐢
  • Corner posts vertical — posts are far stronger straight up-and-down than under eccentric load. Adjust ratchets, or loosen and tap the base sideways with a sledge.
  • Harness taut, all lines singing the same note. If any fabric section looks overloaded, relieve it: cord zigzags, a ratchet beneath, or (Eric's high-wind move) one extra spreader pole angled into the corner.
  • The weekly ritual (Lead's job):
    • No tent poles or pokey bits pressing the fabric — they WILL cut it in wind. Domes near the walls, giants in the middle.
    • First few days + during/after every storm: walk the whole structure. Tighten or loosen as needed.
    • Anything close to ripping? Loosen it or spread the load before it rips.
    • Tears happen anyway → fishing line + upholstery needles. Every ALPS tear ever (including rat damage in storage!) has been fixed that way.
  • Move-in: string-line the walkways before tents land (border path ~8 ft in from the staked sides, corridors toward the kitchen/action). Tents inside don't need staking — never had one blow. Pack all leftover stakes/straps back in their bins and store the bins INSIDE the structure.
Light it up: upward-facing lights make the silver mountain glow at night and bounce soft light down over the whole village. Cheapest magic on the playa. ✨

📋 Materials at a Glance

ItemQty (2×2 ALPS ref)Terrible Turtle statusStep
4×4×8 posts, grade 1–2, NOT pressure-treated9 + 2 sparefewer needed (keder hybrid) — assembling = David homework5
Forged eye bolts 3/8"×6" + eye nuts + washers20 + 20 + 40on master list (dorm hardware rows 58–67)5
Aircraft cable 3/16" 7×19 + thimbles + swages/clips660 ft · 28 · 60first ~10 dorm-hardware items received ✅3, 6
Screw-pin shackles 1/2"30on master list6
2" HD ratchet straps w/ loops, 20 ft20shipper-supply order (July 4 sale list)5
Circus stakes 1"×40" 2840DH2030× per David · shipper supply5
Welded-washer concrete stakes (orange tops)—✅ DONE 7/21 — 60 welded + ≥8 plain pins4, 9
Stake puller (Pioneer 230 class)1possibly borrow David'sstrike
Spring hooks 3/16" (+ ~50 larger)~1500on master list7, 8
Shade fabric: 52×52 roofs + 52×8.5 sides4 + 8ordered via David — confirm 90% black vs Aluminet7, 8
Support poles72 segments (ALPS)🎁 David brings ours (20-ft aluminum + yellow bases)9
Pole-top caps (Winco MXHV-2000 bowls + HDPE washers)18 + 38⚠️ confirm current hardware w/ David9
Guy rings + ¼" nylon/poly line + small hooks22 · ~2000 ft · 128pre-cut + label at the Gulch9
Side staking: paracord loops + stakes/nails+rings250–400loops = David non-negotiable · hardware per his spec10
18" J-hook stakes (cable tiedowns)16per David — his system may not need them11
Sledges (8–10 lb fiberglass) · tall A-frame ladder · gloves2 · 1 · manyin camp tool stock5, 9
Fishing line + upholstery needles1 kiton master list (repairs)12

Ship order (David): keder rail ✅ → dormitory shade hardware → IBCs → shower/water gear. The dorm hardware rides the semi in the early-August load — don't let kitchen polish eat its build hours. 🐢

🔎 Still Open — Honest List

Stuck mid-build? One step at a time, breathe, and check with David, Jarrett, or Shaka before improvising on structural anything. 🐢

🙏 Lineage & Credit

This guide adapts The Alps/Himalayas by Eric Schurman of Camp Contact — 12+ years and 13 structures of hard-won playa engineering, generously shared. It's a living document: reach him at ericsc@gmail.com (he loves build pics!) and join himalayasshade@googlegroups.com for updates and low-traffic discussion.

Camp-specific modifications here come from David ("Naked Heart"), our infrastructure mentor, via the 7/2–7/16 syncs. Where this page and David disagree, David wins — it's his system.

In Eric's words (and ours): if you use these designs you agree not to hold him — or us — responsible for anything that goes wrong. Use your own best judgment and engage your own engineering and building resources as needed. Shade is heavy physics wearing a party dress. 🐢