Snowmageddon

So we are holed up at Roadcrew HQ, waiting for the impending blizzard, and got discussing winter games and all that they entail. We have talked about this here before, but hey, its too dang cold to be outside playing with stuff to review tonight. Or so says the weather man. In reality, the rest of the nation may not be used to this, but here in West Michigan 12" of blowing snow is fairly normal for a week day in mid winter (look up "lake effect snow" sometime if you want to better understand this). So while you are experiencing what we are used to, here's something to read:

When playing in snow and cold there are a few things that need to be specially addressed.

First is the cold. Wear loose layers of natural fabrics close to your skin, and something that is wind proof on the outside. The layers trap air, which your body heats up, and keep you warm. The outer layer prevents the colder air from moving all the warm air away from your body. A hat and gloves are critical, as are warm socks and good footwear. Your hat might cover the top vents on your goggles, so fogging can be as much of an issue in winter as it is in summer, and fog can ice when you take your goggles off for a break. You might even want a scarf to cover your lower face and neck, not only does it protect you from cold and wind, it keeps bbs from stinging as badly when they hit you. And cold skin is less flexible than warm skin, so you are more likely to welt from being hit in the cold too.

Second, your AEG isn't going to like the cold. The battery gets weaker as the temp drops, and the cold could also make some parts on your gun more fragile. Many plastics become brittle after the thermometer gets down to the bottom. Now, this is a great time to get out your springers. They don't get any weaker as the temp drops, and you won't have issues with your range or rate of fire dropping, at least until you accidentally freeze yourself to it. Don't lick a metal AEG when it's really cold, even if triple dog dared. Just saying.

Third, and this is one that might not be obvious right away. Many high quality airsoft bbs are white. Which completely disappear in snow. As in you can't see your own rounds going out. If snow is falling, at times you can't even tell if your replica is firing. This might be a case to run those atomic green and red .12s you have in the back of your closet from when you got your first springer. But only ONLY in lower quality springers. AEG's should never be fired with lower quality .12 bbs, and any springer with a tightbore should also never be run with these bbs. They tend to not be as perfectly round, and a few may even have mold flash that will catch inside the barrel and cause a jam.

Now on to some of the positives in playing in snow!

Deep snow shows tracks really well. This is useful if you are playing a game where you are trying to hunt down a smaller force.

Deep snow absorbs sound, making sneaking easier. On the other hand, it also mutes your teams verbal communication somewhat.

Wet packing snow can be easily made into defensible positions. Sure a snow fort won't hold against sustained AEG fire all day, but hey, their batteries are going to be worn down by the time they manage to gnaw a hole through to you, and they will probably be low on ammo as well.

Snowballs can fill in for grenades or work as distractions.

Snow on low pine limbs makes great cover and concealment. Especially if you can crawl in from the back so your tracks might not be noticed.

Once you are done, make sure to warm up your gear slowly and in a dry location to reduce condensation (water running down the inside of your AEG isn't a good thing). Hang your cloths to dry, and let your body warm up by taking off any wet layers (from snow or sweat). Be aware of frostbite, and if you think you have it, consult a better resource than an airsoft blog on dealing with it. Or better yet, be careful not to get it in the first place.

Ok, for now that about covers Snowmageddon 11. Get out there and play in the snow, but bundle up.