For winter and spring backpacking in snowy environments, the REI Snow Stake (and the more expensive, but similar MSR Blizzard) are our recommendation when the snow is consolidated. In this case, they can be used just like a regular stake – just insert them into the snow and loop your guyline around the head of the stake. In softer snow, girth hitch your guylines to the stake using one of the stake’s center holes, and bury it as a deadman anchor. These work well in very loose soil (forest duff) and beach sand, too.