Snowed In :: The Indoor Snowball Fight

Snow Games

Brain Freeze
Body parts become "frozen" as they are hit. For instance, if a player gets hit in the leg with a snowball, it's frozen and they can't use it. He or she must hop around on their other foot. If that gets hit too, then they must sit down but can still throw balls. If one arm gets hit, throws can be made buy using their other arm, and so on. Hits to the head cause a "Brain Freeze" and that player is out. Last one wins.

Catch Me If You Can
This game works best with a bunch of friends. You’ll need a big, open space, such as a park, front yard, putting green, lonely desert, etc., and one snowball for every two people. Have everyone partner up and give each pair a snowball. Teams form two parallel lines about an arms length apart, facing each other. On a signal, snowball holders gently throw to their partners. The "catch?" No-handed catching. You can trap the ball in your shirt, catch it under your arm, or trap it under your chin... whatever it takes, but no hands. After a successful catch, you and your partner each take a step back. If the snowball is dropped, you and your partner bow out. The last pair standing is the winner.

Snow Bombs Away
2 players, one snowball

This game takes a friendly game of catch in a whole other direction. Straight up.

Grab any snowball and any friend and stand about 10 feet apart. Take turns throwing to each other, but throw as high and as hard as you can. Every step your partner has to take to catch the ball counts as a point for you. But here's the catch: First to 10 points loses.

Hack Snowball
1 to a lot of players, one snowball

Hack Snowball is a modern-day version of the ancient 1970's game Footbag.

To play, get a handful of friends and stand in a small circle. The goal is to keep the Snowball in the air as long as possible using anything at your disposal except your hands. Keep track of the snowball-hits and groan loudly whenever someone lets the ball fall.

Snowbop the Brother - 2-3 players, a snowball for each player

This might be the most fun you can have indoors with a snowball. But it's also the nation's number-one killer of table lamps and framed pictures, so clear away all that breakable stuff first!...or you might find yourself in a sudden-death situation.

First, give everyone a snowball and have them hunker down behind a couch, chair or table. The closer everyone is to each other, the better the game.

Then everyone tries to lob their snowball over another player's chair or sofa. If you get snowbopped, that's a point for the thrower (you have to report a snowbopping).

No overhand throws or hard throws allowed. Just well-placed little lobs. The game ends when a referee you didn't know you had shows up and sends everybody outside.

Snow Cat Ball - Several players, 3 snowballs
The tricky part of this game is to get the cooperation of one standard household cat.

Find a smooth floor or low carpet and sit everybody down in a big circle. Place your cat in the middle. (If your cat is anything like ours, it will bask in the attention and cooperate happily. Of course, if your cat has zero interest in Snow Cat Ball, we recommend you find another game. Or another cat. Whichever is easier.).

The goal is to roll a snowball across the circle so that it passes between two pairs of cat legs. There are three ways this can happen:

1. The Bellyroll. The snowball rolls under the cat from side to side.
Score: 1 point

2. The Tailgater. The snowball rolls between the back legs, then between the front legs.
Score: 2 Points

3. The Full Frontal. The snowball rolls through the front, then the back legs of the cat.
Score: 3 Points There's no taking turns, no time-outs and all three snowballs are used at once. The first to rack up 10 points is the winner and gets to keep the cat.

Clothes Snow Catch - 2 or more players, one snowball

If you're a fan of catching things in the most difficult, hilarious ways possible, this is your game.

The only rule is this: Catch with anything you want--EXCEPT YOUR HANDS.

The best way to go about this is to wear a lot of baggy clothing, then scoop up a thrown ball in a shirt, jacket, pant leg, hat--you get the idea.

House favorites are trapped-under-shirt catches, elbow catches and, of course, the body-as-backboard catch.

If you want to keep score, require players to put on another piece of clothing every time they drop the ball. In the end, the player wearing the least clothing doesn't have to take a bath. Everybody else sure will.

Elbow Snow Poppin - 1 person, one snowball

This is a truly classic, totally pointless activity. Grab any ball and hold it right over the bendy part of that same arm, opposite your elbow.

Then let go of the ball and thrust your arm straight out at the same time. If you time it right, you'll pop the ball into the air off the inside of your arm. If you're doubly bored, try both arms at once.