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Winter weather can be miserable, but there is one huge perk: snowball fights. Any time a deep carpet of snow gets dumped on us, you can count on a bunch of kids (or young-at-heart adults) engaging in epic snowball fights, sometimes involving surprisingly well-engineered snow forts and sophisticated tactics.
This is the 21st century, however—if you’re still fighting your snowball fights with nothing but your bare hands and a sense of determination, you’re missing out. We can’t all be Buddy the Elf, shotgunning perfectly made snowballs like some sort of winter weather Terminator—but we can invest in some of the most fun snowball tech money can buy. If you’re looking to dominate your neighborhood’s winter wars (or put some snowball-tossing whippersnappers in their place), here’s what to buy.
Snowball makers
Your first step is to up your snowball-making game. A cosmetically pleasing, perfectly spherical snowball is your first step toward snowball fight dominance. This set of simple snowball forms will make it easy to stockpile perfect snowballs in just a few minutes. If you don’t have a few minutes because you’re already under attack, you might turn to this 5-in-1 snowball maker that will let you quickly amass some serious firepower.
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If you want to get a little more whimsical, you can also pick up snowball-making sets that include other shapes, like ducks or hearts, if that’s your jam.
Snow throwers
Once you have your snowballs assembled, you’ll need something to augment your throwing power. This Snow Trac Ball (or these) can launch snowballs a lot further than you can with just your arm—up to 150 feet away. They also come with built-in snowball makers, so when you run out of your initial supply, you can quickly make and deploy fresh snowballs without missing a beat.
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Snowball launchers
Throwing snowballs either bare-knuckled or using an implement is all well and good, but what if your opponents are serious about their snowball fighting? If you need more firepower, this Snowball Blaster is just what you need—load a snowball into the front, pull back the firing mechanism, take aim, and destroy your enemies. Want to keep things a little more primitive? This snowball slingshot keeps it simple—load a snowball, take aim, and launch for victory (this kit even comes with dye to color-code your snowballs in case you’re trying to keep score). Or go medieval on your enemies with this very cool Snow Crossbow, which even comes with a target so you can practice decimating your enemies.
Defense
No one wants a snowball to the face, so having a snowball shield on hand can keep you dry and unscathed while you rain snowballs on your opponents. Of course, this doesn’t have to be a snowball-specific shield—just about any plastic shield will help protect you from the snowballs being thrown your way.
Bonus: Indoor
Itching to have a snowball fight, but you live in a warm-weather area that hasn’t seen snow in decades? Or there just hasn’t been enough snowfall? Or it’s summer? Get yourself an indoor snowball fight kit and go to town. While you won’t get the visceral joy of smashing snow into someone’s head from a distance, you can replicate just about everything else that’s fun about snowball fights without the cold, damp, or, you know, snow. Throw in some couch-cushion forts and you have a guaranteed good time.
