I stopped to look outside through the school's glass walls as I walked upstairs, to find, to my delight, that throwing snowballs is allowed! Some of you might be surprised to know that throwing snowballs in Finnish schools is strictly banned, due to the possibility of accidents. I was even more surprised when an elderly teacher stopped beside me observe the re-enactment of the winter war unfolding in the yard below, commenting on how fun it looked.

I was tempted to join in, but class was starting soon, so I was content with observation. After a light skirmish the girls found themselves huddled in a corner against the fence, bombarded by a coalition probably united only because of the common, easy target. One girl had a snowball to her face (Mind you this was quite "dry" snow, so the snowball shatters quite well on impact.) and as her friends huddled around her to check if she was ok, someone ran behind them round the fence, and so they were punished for exposing their rear. Surprisingly, the girls then scattered to attack 'the coalition', who then turned on each other while everyone fell back to the warmth and safety of the school. On the other hand I have seen someone attacked by friend who had smuggled snow upstairs...

So, today I have been inspired to write about the subtleties of winter warfare, not that I would consider myself an expert on the issue, but I shall pretend I am. As with any competitive sport, there is a notion of fair play, or as I prefer, 'chivalry'. While this may otherwise imply a gentlemanly way of war, it doesn't seem to include a similar respect for women as in the Middle Ages. Well, there's gender equality for you.

The most basic agreement between two gentleman combatants is the range, the space between the opponents. This may not be specifically agreed upon verbally, but can be noticed should you observe two combatants. The vulnerable moment of reloading is obviously a tempting moment to close in on the attack, but then one risks being given similar treatment. Should the battle seem unnecessary prolonged however, it is likely the opponents will close the distance, inevitably leading to fairly close combat. Even here there is a certain notion of chivalry. The perfect gentleman warrior will not grab his opponent, but will artfully scoop snow off the ground and fling it into his adversaries face, while dodging any such attempts by the enemy. It is an interesting predicament when dueling adversaries find themselves at a lull in the fight, at close quarters, both with snow in hand. The first to "pull the trigger" gives the other a predictable advantage.

It is possible for a duel to degenerate into a brawl, a culmination off inconclusive yet provocative attacks on both sides. As this might not be considered the culmination of chivalry, it usually only occurs between well acquainted gentlemen. This might involve attempts to trip your enemy, so that you may more easily drop snow on your foe's face. Obviously fighting such as this is more common with an abundance of snow, so that a tripping an enemy will not break his face, but rather have it 10cm in the snow. Such an act will often have a less determined warrior yield. The victor might celebrate by "accidentally" dropping/kicking some snow into the adversary face, and will then bask in all the appropriate honour and glory. No ransoms, unfortunately.

Another approach to fighting is what I like to call Viking Rage™. Which ideally involves you charging fearlessly at the enemy, preferably screaming your war cry of choice. While this technique has potential to be incredibly intimidating, a disciplined adversary will easily shoot the fighting spirit out of a novice Viking Rage™ user with a well aimed snowball. A determined Viking however, cannot be stopped without a moderately large fortress, and will shrug off all damage as if he never felt it, as such, they excell in brawls.  Using Viking Rage™ will often leave you wet and cold, but your pitiful gentleman adversary will be far worse off.

Winter, also known as the "campaigning season", is a dangerous time. I might be exaggerating slightly, but just today I was unchivalrously ambushed by two of my so called friends, and after a short, self defence induced Viking Rage™ I made a narrow escape riding off on my bicycle. Viking Rage™ is especially useful when ambushed, as such an unchivalrous attack by your foe makes use of Viking Rage™ more than acceptable. I also had an enjoyable success myself today, as I attacked our as of yet unexperienced American exchange student, Sodfoot, while he was dueling Cheesemeister. (A good friend of mine, known for his unhealthy - some say distrubing - obsession with cheese.) With skill which would make a (pirate-)ninja envious, I slipped a snowball in his hat, bwuahahaa...