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Snow Games

Games in the snow are indeed dependent on the weather, but when there is enough snow, one can have lots of fun sledding, skis or on the seat of your pants, snowboarding or skiing.

Olympic boards - Games with a snowboard

The following games were thought up and mainly played on a snowboard camp the boys. Some of these games required special conditions in the area and the snow (paper-/powder snow).

We have tried to give the games names based on the events involved. The games should be introduced with 1-2 short sentences. The games were played in complete snowboard kit (incl. hard/soft snowboard boots). The whole thing was played as a team competition.

Transporting the injured

A snowboarder has fallen over while boarding and must brought quickly to the doctor. The injured person sits on the board. The other two players pull/push him over the agreed distance as quickly as possible.
Avalanche victim

Am avalanche victim/a treasure is buried under a pile of snow and has to be dug out as quickly as possible. Grab your boards and dig.
Material: treasure (sweets etc.)
Artificial snow

Not enough snow has fallen in this season and artificial snow must be laid out. Two players transport snow from A to B on their boards (holding the board on both sides and holding it horizontally).
Judging: Either a certain amount of snow in the shortest time possible or as much snow as possible in a certain amount of time.

Snow football
- Dribbling a softball through a slalom course while wearing snowboard shoes
- Overhead kick with ball throwing and a soft landing in the snow
- "normal" kick-around in the snow (boards as the goal posts stuck vertically in the snow)
- Kick-around with balloons
- Material: Softball or normal football or balloons
Slope barman

The ski slope services team offers the special service of bringing drinks to the slopes. The barman must use his board – like a waiter – held on his palm above one shoulder. There is a glove at both ends of the board – front and back. This must be transported over a certain distance as quickly as possible. If a glove falls off, it must be picked up and the race is continued from this point.
Downhill

In autumn – before the first snow arrives – the Alp shepherd must bring his cattle down from the Alps into the valley (down the Alps). The snow has arrived surprising quickly this year, so he must do this very quickly. The cattle (3-5 players) are tied as closely together (around the torso and arms) as possible. After the knot, a length of rope approx. 2m long should be left over which the Alp shepherd uses to pull the cattle. He must now pull the cattle over a certain distance (boards are used as marked stuck in the ground) to a target. Stumbles are not exactly discouraged. The teams should start off parallel – that increases the excitement.
Material: Rope
Ski lift

A player must be pulled up a slope by his fellow players. The player sits either in a sledge or a shovel (players pull on the handle) or a “slide pan" (plastic in the shape of a pan: players pull the handle and rope can be tied to it)
Material: Sledge, shovel, slide pan and rope
Jump slope

A little ski jump slope is built on a slope. It is recommended that you support the vertical edge of the jump with a board.
- Distance jumping
  The jumpers must fly as far as possible.
- High jump
  Two members of staff hold a ribbon under the ski jump which must be jumped over. The players are allowed to fix the height (approx. 1 meter). Extension: The spectators bet on whether the player will clear the jump or break the ribbon.
- Target jumping
  Balloons are positioned under the ski jump which must be hit. There is one point for each hit and a bonus point if the balloon bursts. Note: This part was played on a camp on the final evening under the motto "fire and ice" by torch light. The atmosphere and the special light effects gave the whole that special something.
- Material: Board, shovel, ribbon, meter stick, 10-20 balloons and torches (if required).
Obstacle course

The players must complete an obstacle course at the edge of the ski slopes. The following obstacles might be used: - jumping over a pile of snow – jumping over a board which is held horizontally by two members of staff – ducking under the board on the way back – running around a tree
Board-Biathlon

The player pulls his board along behind him on a rope. He transports his “ammunition” on the board (snowballs). At the stations, he must throw at the vertically standing snowboards or other targets.
Variation: The player rides the distance on his board and transports the snowballs in his rucksack.
Material: Rope, rucksacks
Snow blind

A player is blindfolded. The other players guide him through a (harmless) obstacle course (e.g. slalom around vertical boards). The other teams are allowed to disturb the proceedings by shouting other instructions – or their own team member starts off at the same time.
Material: sheets/bandages
Base-Board-Ball

Baseball in the snow: A player is thrown snowballs from the remaining players in turn. He must bat them away with his board. The distance should be approx. 7-10 meters. There is one point awarded for each hit.
Snowball & Co.
- Target throwing with snowballs onto boards (stuck vertically into the snow)
- 7 meter penalty shoot: Throwing snowballs at a goal (made from two vertical and one horizontal board). The goalie is allowed to defend his goal with his board.
- Relay with snowballs
- Relay race with flying transfer of the snowball
- Players stand fixed in one position. Ten snowballs have to be passed along the line from player to player as quickly as possible. Players must stand with one leg in contact with a vertical snowboard, he is however, allowed to take one pace
- Option: Rolling the snowballs
- Snowballs must be transported in a rucksack and passed to the next player
- Rugby with well packed snowballs
- Material: Rucksacks
Snow skittles

An outdoor game of skittles with snowballs. Empty drink bottles or vertically standing boards are placed at a suitable distance. You can also build in some piles of snow or similar as obstacles.
Material: Juice bottles
General material: Snowboards, ski clothing

With kind permission (14.11.2002) from the evangelical youth work in Württemberg “Evang. Jugendwerk Württemberg (ejw)”.

Further snow games...

Snowboard Transport

2 players make a team. One player sits on the snowboard, the other pushes or pulls him over a given course.
Pull Elevator

For each team a long rope is tied at the top of a hill. Each group starts at the “valley station” sitting on a sled and must pull themselves up the hill. Variation: The group can be pulled up by other teammates pulling on the rope.
Snow Baseball

Snowballs are thrown into a goal. The goalie defends the goal with a snowboard and hits the snowballs away. Or the players can throw the snowballs so that the goalie can hit most of them.
Snowboard Targets

Instead of using tins cans as targets, stick a snowboard long ways in a snow bank and throw snowballs at it.
Snowball Fight

A snowball fight is almost obligatory in the winter. The youth group leader must make sure that the fight is played fairly and be ready to stop the game if the snowballs become too hard.
Balloon Targets in the Snow

Snowballs are thrown at balloons that have been placed in a confined area. One balloon must be driven into the opposing teams field. The other team does like-wise. If a balloon gets caught in a tree, it has to be popped with snowballs. Each player has 3 snowballs. How often can each team get a balloon to the other side?
Sleds – Sled Races – Cross Country Travels

All players must ride a sled down a slope. Obstacles and stations are set up along the way.
- Set up poles
- Traverse a ski jump
- Pick up a filled water bucket and bring it to the goal
- Collect objects along the way (Pine cones, pine branches, hat, scarf, ski pole, etc.)
- During the ride, toss pine cones or walnuts into a basket
Scoring: points are given for the time needed to complete the course and for every completed/ unfinished task points are either given or subtracted.
Ski Footrace

3-4 players stand on and bind themselves to two well waxed wood boards. They must then ski downhill (if the boards are suitable) or traverse an obstacle course, or ski uphill.
Sled Relay

A normal relay race where the players must use a sled, skis or a snowboard and ski poles.
Sled Relay with Baton Passing

Just like a regular relay race, the players are positioned at intervals along the course, where a baton is passed to the next player. Player 1 starts at the top of the hill, sleds down to the next player, gives him the baton. Then player 2 sleds down to player 3 and so on. Players can not sled past the next player.
Snow Battle

The combatants sit on sleds and try to hit their opponents with a sack (burlap?) so that they fall off the sled. Variation: players can sit or stand on a well packed pile of snow.

Variation 2: both hold a rope in one hand, or they tie each other on the hand and try to throw the other off-balance.
Torch Ride

Sled or ski holding a torch at night
Igloo or Snow Fort Building

Build igloos or snow forts and then have a snowball fight
Building and judging a snowman

The group receives the task of building a snowman. At the end, the snowman is judged. The following might be used as judging criteria: Size, extent, appearance, clothing and accessories, stability, attention to detail, etc.
Snow Ball Alley

A big pile of snow is collected. Then an alley is formed. Use a golf ball. To make the alley stronger and harder, apply water all over it.

Scoring: which ball takes the longest to get to the goal? Or if the alleys are the same length, which ball gets to the goal the fastest?