How to Make a Four Sided Snow Fort

Many hands make light work.

A four-sided snow fort provides the perfect defense against a snowball assault. Instead of sitting in the house all day when it's snowy out, consider heading outside to build a snow fort. Get some friends or family members together to build a snow fort and then have a snowball fight. A snow fort takes a lot of work to build, but it can last for a long time if the weather stays cold.

Print this article

Snow shovel
Garden hose (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  
  Shovel a square outline in the snow where you want to build the snow fort. Use the snow shovel to pile up all of the snow inside the square into its center. This snow can be used to make snowballs or as a brace for a flag pole.
- 2
  
  Walk a few feet outside of the square and pick up two handfuls of snow. Pack the two handfuls together into a ball. Pick up and pack more snow around this ball. Continue packing snow around the ball until it's too big to hold. Set it on the ground and push it around until it forms into as big a ball as you can push. Push it toward the perimeter of the square until it rests in one of the four corners. Repeat this process until the perimeter is lined with large snowballs.
- 3
  
  Build another set of snowballs half the size of the first ones. Build them only as heavy as you can lift them. Roll them back to the fort and hoist them up on top of the first row of snowballs. Set them so they sit in the low spot between the lower balls.
- 4
  
  Gather snow with a snow shovel and pack it in the joints between the lower snowballs and then the upper snowballs. Pack the snow in one handful at a time for a solid finish.
- 5
  
  Use the snow shovel to trim the walls of the fort so that the inside wall forms a 45 degree angle and the outside wall slops outward from the top to the bottom. Your snow fort is now ready for play.

Tips & Warnings

If you want the fort to last longer, spray it with a garden hose and then let if freeze overnight.
Always dress warm for snow play and make frequent trips to the house to drink water and warm up.