by Dawn Marcotte

Created on: March 04, 2010   Last Updated: March 06, 2010

Making snowmen and snow forts is a tradition on the northern climates of the United States. Building a basic snow fort can be done in as little as 15 minutes or an elaborate fort may require several hours. An complex snow fort may have secret tunnels, slides and even turrets. The snow must be 'sticky' to complete construction. There are two main methods of snow fort construction, building up or digging down. 

Digging Down

This method requires deep snow for success. Try to find an area with snow that is at least hip deep and mark out the front and sides of the snow fort by drawing the  outline in the snow. Begin at the back and dig out the snow. As the snow is removed pack it around the sides to build up the walls. The last several layers of snow that are dug should be packed on the front wall of the fort. This basic snow fort doesn't take long to build but may not have any of the special 'extras' that some kids want.

Building Up

Often there is not enough snow available for the digging down method. Building up can be done completely by hand or with tools such as milk cartons or sand pails as molds. Choose the area for the snow fort and mark out the walls before beginning. Start a distance away from the fort and roll snow into a ball. Keep rolling the ball until it is placed on the edge of the snow fort. If the wall is not large enough add another snow ball. Continue to add snowballs until the walls are completed. Pack additional snow between the snowballs to fill in any open areas. Alternatively scoop snow with milk cartons to create snow bricks and stack them. This method will require more time as the bricks are smaller, but it will also allow for more control of the construction. Keep packing snow into the spaces between bricks or snowballs until the fort is the desired size.

Extras

Often children will want to add a tunnel or slide to their new fort. Adding a slide can be done by simply adding snow to the area where the slide will be located. Create a triangle shape with the snow so there is a slope down and away from the wall. Building a tunnel should be closely supervised in case of a collapse of the snow. A small flexible plastic sled can be used as a brace for the tunnel to provide additional support. Turrets are more difficult as snow can be very heavy. Use plastic sand pails to scoop snow on top of an existing snow wall to create the turret.

Once the fort is complete it can be added to whenever the weather is warm enough for snow to pack.

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