Part 1 : Winter 1996 - '97
9' Tall, 148 Blocks (12-liter)
Lasted 1 Day
This is where it all began. On January 2nd, 1997, I had a pile of small snow blocks that I'd made with a 2-liter ice cream container. I had intended to use the blocks for a snowball fight, but a change in plans got me wondering what else I could do with them. I stacked them into a small pyramid, and when I saw how well they held up, I quickly started getting some bigger and better ideas.
The next afternoon, I set out to build a snowfort using this newly-discovered "technology". Instead of the small 2-liter ice cream container, I used a large 12-liter bucket instead. I spent less than six hours building this fort, but once completed, this is what it looked like. It stood about 9 feet high and contained some 148 blocks of snow.
Throughout the rest of this winter ('96-'97), I would continue to build these experimental forts. Most were not photographed, since they were all quite similiar to this one and the designs were crude at best. But throughout the next winter, the designs would see a lot of improvement.
8' High, 91 and 76 blocks respectively
Each lasted 3 Days
Here area a couple more forts from that same winter; these tall and narrow "twins" would be the only two forts standing at once, for several years to come. By now, I'd come up with a design for a usable door, and the forts were beginning to hold together much better. Also, then-3-year-old Chance the dog makes his first appearance in a fort photo.
