Stellar dendrite // The most
common snowfl ake type and the
best for skiing. ‘Dendritic’
means ‘tree-like’ and
the crystals have
branches and side
branches. At 2-4mm
in diameter, they’re
easily visible to the
naked eye.
ANATOMY OF A SNOWFLAKE
IT’S SKI SEASON, YOU’RE KITTED OUT, BOOKED UP AND READY FOR THE
SLOPES BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SKIING ON?THE GRAPHICSOLID
COLUMNSTELLAR
DENDRITERADIATING
PLATESECTORED
PLATESIMPLE
NEEDLEFERNLIKE STELLAR
DENDRITEARROWHEAD
TWINCAPPED
COLUMNBULLET
ROSETTEbest for skiing. ‘Dendritic’
means ‘tree-like’ and
the crystals have
branches and side
branches. At 2-4mm
in diameter, they’re
easily visible to the
naked eye.
RIDGES
GROOVES
ORIGINAL HEXAGONAL PRISM
SPIKE
RIBS
RIME
KNOW YOUR SNOWFLAKES
Snowfl akes can take on almost any shape, but they are almost always symmetrical. In a typical year, about a million billion
snowfl akes fall every second. There are 35 distinct types of snowfl ake. Here are some of the most common.SNOW SURE
Essential tips for
fi nding great snow?POWDER: Dry snow
composed of loose,
fresh ice crystals.
The best powder
snow is made of
stellar dendrites.
NORTH FACE: Ski
resorts with the
greatest snowfall are both high
and close to the northern or
western periphery of the Alps.
Such resorts include Avoriaz
(France) and Lech/Zürs (Austria),
all of which receive around 8
metres of snow at village level.
WET SNOW: Around 3-6%
water, dense and heavy:
excellent for snowballs, not
so good for skiing. Snow of this
type mainly comprises larger
fl akes and falls on the windward
side of coastal mountain ranges
where moist air approaches
from the sea.The saying ‘no two snowfl akes are alike’ is
impossible to prove but very likely to be
the case, as each is made of 10 quintillion
(10^19 ) water molecules, formed in varied
atmospheric conditions. Snowfl akes di er
wildly in shape depending on the temperature
and humidity in which they form.
MAN-MADE
Machine-made snow, fi red onto the piste
from snow cannons/guns, develops from
water droplets, as opposed to the water
vapour required for stellar dendrites. As as
result, the compact clumps of ice they spit
out have a liquid core; this is why the
snowpack at a resort using artifi cial snow
turns slushy and icy more quickly.10 quintillion
158 natgeotraveller.co.uk
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