It’s really coming down out there. Baton Rouge is in the midst of what will likely be a historic snowfall event across the Gulf South.
Do you know what supplies you should have on hand—and how to improvise if you don’t have it?
Here are some tips for first-time snow seekers, as originally published in the January 2019 issue of 225 Magazine.
1. Wear water-resistant boots.
You may think you should step into your warmest sheepskin boots, but resistance to water is actually more important than insulation. If you don’t have snow or hiking boots, rain boots work great. Just layer thick socks underneath.
2. Be careful about defrosting your windshield.
The best tool for this is the typical ice scraper found on Amazon. But if you don’t have one, pour tepid water to melt the ice then whisk the slush away with your wipers. Tepid is the key word here, not hot. Hot water could crack your windshield.
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3. Wet snowballs are best.
Snow adheres to itself better when some moisture is involved, so look for patches where snow may be slightly melting or a little warmer to get a good snowball started. Let it sit when it’s done, too—it’ll marry with the heat from your hands and become more solid.
4. Roll, don’t pack, your snowman.
The body of a perfect snowman starts with a snowball-fight-sized snowball. Roll it around in the snow to pick up more mass—much easier and much faster than trying to pack snow together by hand.
5. Improvise a sled.
If there’s enough snow to slide on but you don’t have a sled (Who does?), some of the best makeshift alternatives are cardboard boxes, cookie sheets, boogie boards, pool floats and plastic container lids. Be careful!