How to Build the Perfect Snowman: 6 Best Practices

Know your snow

If you’ve ever gone skiing, you know there’s a difference between dry, powdery snow and wet, slushy snow. When it comes to making a snowman, you want things right in the middle. “You can think of the free water as the ‘glue,'” Jordy Hendrikx, a snow scientist at Montana State University, told Smithsonian. “You need enough to stick the crystals together, but not too much. Otherwise, it won’t form a snowman.” If the snow is too dry, turn your garden hose to a light mist and spray the area you’d like to start building on. If it’s too wet, you might have to wait for some fresh powder before you begin. (Check out this fascinating history of the snowman.)