The crystallized flakes falling from the heavens are good for more than traffic delays and cold ankles.

Snow can be formed into fairly harmless projectiles for mock-World War I trench warfare.

True, most snowball fights fall under the category of hiding behind something and jumping out to throw, but in DeKalb we are blessed with a wide range of terrain upon which to wage snow war.

From open fields to urban landscapes, the campus offers a variety of “battlefields” deemed fit for a confrontation.

Central Park, between the Grant and Stevenson towers, is great for standard open warfare. Those skinny trees offer little to no protection, and only experts dare start a conflict there.

Since the East Lagoon is iced over, it offers a cold version of Vietnam. With large trees and a massive amount of ice, there is ample cover — at the cost of traction.

Urban warfare can be found on most any part of campus, but the best area is behind Davis Hall. There are so many alcoves, staircases and alleyways that one could easily reenact “Black Hawk Down.”

Best spots aside, one shouldn’t start stockpiling carefully formed snowballs without knowing the legality of their actions.

Director of the Judicial Office Larry Bolles shed light on a sometimes-muddy area.

“[Snowballs] are only illegal if you hit another person, or damage some property,” Bolles said. “[A victim] can bring charges against the person that threw it.”

Bolles said the most common offense he’s seen is broken glasses.

“If you break them or scar them, they want them replaced, at a minimum,”Bolles said.

One can get in trouble even without throwing a snowball, especially if someone created an obscene phallic sculpture.

“Theoretically … you could probably use an obscenity statute, because there is an ordinance. Of course, you’d have to catch the guys that made it,” DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes said.