I would have preferred a strategy that would not have sacrificed one to save the rest of the party. Let the packs serve as insulation beneath, huddle everyone up, and cover over in the hole with something, anything at all. Almost any kind of a stove, even something weighing less than half a pound (500 grams) would have made a big difference. A small light stove made all the difference for me when I was overnight in a snow hole (a long time ago on a mountain far, far away).