January is one of the snowiest months out of the year.
That means it's the perfect time for a snowball fight.
But you can't start fighting until you have a snow fort that can protect you from the other team.
Below, we'll show you have to make the ultimate snow fort that'll withstand anything the other team comes up with.
So let's get started!
Plan Your Design
Before you start gathering snow, you'll want to spend some time thinking about the design of your fort.
You'll have to consider a few factors when doing this.
How much snow do you have?
If there's not a lot of snow outside, you may want to build something small. This may be a simple one wall structure to give you some shelter during your snowball fight. But if there's a lot of deep snow drifts, you can build an entire house, complete with a roof.
Remember, you'll need to leave plenty of room for throwing.
Your snow fort should protect you from the enemy snowball throwers, but it shouldn't block your own attacks. Make sure your shelter doesn't get in the way of your ammo.
Draw Your Outline in the Snow
Once you know what your fort will look like, use a stick or shovel to draw the outline of your structure in the snow. This will give you a template to follow as you're building the fort.
If you have a good idea of what you want, you can skip this step.
Otherwise, forgetting to outline your fort can result in you building something too big or too small. The outline will also give you a good idea of how much space the fort will take and if you'll have enough snow for the design.
Find a Dense Snow Drift
You'll want to use dense snow to build your fort. Snow that's too lose won't stick together or hold a shape. This can cause your entire structure to fall down.
Not sure if your snow is dense?
Try this test.
Grab a handful of snow and pack it into a snowball. If it sticks together, it's nice and denes. If the snowball falls apart, it's too loose.
You'll also want to find a good snow drift to work with.
If there aren't any snowdrifts around, make one yourself. Shovel all the surrounding snow from the driveway, yard, etc. into one big pile. This will make it easier to work with when building.
Turn the Snow into Bricks
Snow bricks will make your fort stable and solid. You should take a good portion of the snow you've gathered-but not all of it-and turn it into snow bricks.
Here's how it works.
Start by finding some type of container. This could be anything from beach boxes to plastic storage boxes to Tupperware bowls. Just make sure whatever you're using as a uniform shape. Buckets or even garbage cans can work well.
Then fill your container with snow. Pack it in nice and tight, and flip the container over. Lift the contain off the brick, then repeat.
You can also pour cold water over each brick. The water will freeze once it touches the snow and give the brick a sturdy layer of ice.
Start the Construction
Once you have your bricks made, it's time to start building.
Lay your first brick on the outline of your fort. Set your second brick a few inches away from the first and fill the gap with snow. Keep adding bricks until you finish the first layer of your fort.
For the second layer, make sure the first brick you place is straddling two of the bricks below it. Add more bricks and keep packing the empty space with snow.
If you don't pack it with snow, the bricks won't be secure. Your entire fort could end up falling over.
After you build the basic shape you want, you can smooth more snow over the walls and, if you have one, roof. This will not only give your fort extra support, it will also make the surface smooth and neat.
Pack It in with a Shovel
Use a snow shovel to pack everything into place. If the sides are messy or bumpy, you can also use the shovel to smooth everything out.
But be gentle.
You don't want to risk breaking your snow bricks or making the entire fort collapse.
Dump COLD Water over the Fort
Get some buckets of cold water and start pouring them over the fort. The water must be cold. If it's not, you'll run the risk of melting the entire structure.
Like the snow bricks, when the water touches your fort, it will freeze. This will provide a solid layer of ice on every surface.
You'll want to dump this water on both the inside and the outside of your fort. But start from the bottom and work your way up. Starting at the top can make the weight of the ice collapse the bottom portion of the fort.
Decorate
This last step is optional, but if you want to build the ultimate snow fort, some decoration will definitely give it the "ultimate" factor.
There are several ways you can do this.
You can sprinkle cold, colored water over the fort to dye. All you need is some food coloring. If you like this idea, you can even dump colored water on your snow bricks before you start building.
String some LED lights around your structure to illuminate it during the nights and overcast days. Make sure they're low powered so they don't melt the snow.
You can also add decorations like flags or snowmen to help guard your fort.
Building the Ultimate Snow Fort for Your Next Snowball Fight
If you follow these steps, you'll be able to create the ultimate snow fort to protect you during your next snowball fight. This fort can withstand anything the other team throws at you.
The next step is creating all those snowballs.
But you don't have to make each one by hand. Make sure you check out our snowball thrower before your next battle!