Hands up - who has made a giant snowball before?

[Jeanied]

Well this is one for the rural grapes, I think. I was brought up in a small village and I can remember, when I was younger, going out and making a giant snowball with friends - rolling down a snowy slope till it was bigger than we were! Not sure which year this was but I am sure it was in the 60s

It took weeks to melt after the snow had all gone!

[cardiffsteve]

Think the last time was in the '80s when it snowed heavily.
Made a 6 foot snowman

Heard a lady on the radio t'other day saying she was making snowballs and putting them in her freezer until summer and will then get them out for her grandchildren to throw at each other. COOL

[muddled]

We still make the giant snowballs every chance we get.
Usually started by my husband and a couple of men in our street, the snowball gets pushed over to the park (by which time a ragtag bunch of kids is 'helping') and eventually it goes to form one wall of the communal fort.

I love snowdays, no cars can move round here, the kids forget about chavvy street cred and play proper games with sleds and snowballs, forts and snowmen....timeless innit?

[Lumpy]

I don't sleep very well and am regularly up at daft o'clock so a couple of years ago it had been snowing really hard and when I looked out the window the scene was literally magical.
I decided that althouth it was only 4.30 I (and by that I mean we) needed to be the first people to walk on the snow before it was defiled by some one else.
Dragged Mr Lump out of bed (he was really happy - not!) - got wrapped up ready to imprint ourselves on the virgin snow - went outside into the lane -
the piggin milkman had trasped all through my perfect snow leaving his big wellie prints everywhere.
I was gutted!
Mr Lump then showed me that he had learnt some new swear words and stomped back to bed.

Maybe this year.....

[Nicos]

We made one only last year!

My brother and I used to make them a lot when we were kids...good job he was strong cos they get very hard to push/roll when they get bigger.

I too have on several occasions put snowballs in our freezer for the kids to have a snowball fight mid summer...Tis great fun during a heatwave!

[arpoet]

In the 50s and early 60s we often had lots of snowy winters. Our local park was very hilly and to make a sledging run we had no option than to make and roll giant snowballs. We also had to make them in the goal mouth so we could still play footie.

[noviceveggrower]

Last time we had really bad snow we made a snow mountain. No wasn't that big actually but we did use most of the snow we had. Little girl wanted a mountain so she could ski down it.. In the end she just skidded down a big pile of snow on her bum. But hay she was happy with it and that's all that matters with kids.
Have tried giant snow balls in the past but they get to a certain size then just seem to break apart. Must be wrong sort of snow

[alldigging]

Was it '81 for the huge snow fall?
My gran's garden was on the edge of fields so had really huge drifts to play on. About 6-7ft high.
Made lots of huge snowmen - that needed two of us to keep it moving. And sleighed down a steep hill on all sorts of improvised sleds.

[Knight of Albion]

Now winters were winters when I was a lad.

Snowballs and snowmen, all part of the innocence of youth ...
Though looking back, it was the murderous route to school that I remember most about childhood winters. Clinging on to the wall, as we inched our way over lethal sheet ice ...
Ah, happy days!

[arpoet]

When we had the bad winter in 2010 my eldest grandson was stopping with us. He was 6 and i could not get him to school so got out my old wooden sled took him sledging. It was great fun trying to teach him to steer with his feet. It was the first year he had seen decent snow. Kids nowadays don't have skills we had, or the fun.

[Gema13]

Mine was just last week the kids and I took advantage of being snowed in and the great amount of snow we got. Also living upon a hill with a mile track to the road helped lol. Although when the kids decided to push the huge thing back up the track, saved a workout

[noviceveggrower]

Was it '81 for the huge snow fall?
My gran's garden was on the edge of fields so had really huge drifts to play on. About 6-7ft high.
Made lots of huge snowmen - that needed two of us to keep it moving. And sleighed down a steep hill on all sorts of improvised sleds.

I remember this year because my mom and dad had their first newsagents. My dad had to go to the wholesalers and got stuck in snow getting back. Roads were blocked with snow and people just dumping their cars and the police were bouncing or rolling out of the way.
My dad was driving a beaten up Land Rover. While he was just sat there a policeman came up and knocked on his window and asked if he was in a 4x4 and where he was going to. So my dad said yes it was and where we lived. So policeman told him to him to go to the front of the traffic jam and there would be a policeman waiting for him.
So he drove through and was stopped by a policeman. He told him to drive through to the next town where we lived and he was to clear a path for everyone. It didn't matter if he had to drive on the opposite side of the road then he was to do it. Police the other side were informed he was on his way.
My dad said it was chuffin fantastic waving at everyone as he drove past them.
What you have to remember is that 4x4 weren't that common in the early 80's. Only people who needed them for work had them. Not like now a days when people have them and they either can't drive them or leave them on their drives when it snows.

[Greenleaves]

We used to make them, well more like large swiss rolls, trouble was we always rolled through something un pleasant