Ridges In The Snow

Fallen snow may bond faster than was previously thought, which could be important news for avalanche prediction boffins says a recent American study.

The details are actually far too complex for ordinary outdoor journalists to understand, but the gist of it appears to be that ice crystals stored at consistently low temperatures were observed, using an electron microscope, to develop ridge-like structures between them, which helped to bond the crystals together and solidify the snow pack.

Generally consolidation of snow in the UK comes about through a freeze / thaw / freeze cycle, so it's questionable how relevant this is to British hills, but what the heck, crystals will bond faster than we thought. If you're up to the full technical caboodle, check out the story at New Scientist.

For more general information on snow crystals, take a look at the Caltech snow crystal site. Ouch, my head.