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for a second experience. Required is an accurate knowledge of the internal structure of snow, why it is sometimes packed as hard as concrete, at other times is as fluffy as down, as gritty as sand, as sticky as pie dough, or as slushy as mud. The crystalline structure and texture of snow is in a continual process of change from the time the snow flake is first formed until it either melts or compacts to solid ice. Thorough knowledge of the causes and results of this change underlies an understanding of the causes—and results—of an avalanche. Snow Texture Crystalline structure of fresh snow.—There are many forms of snow crystals (see fig. 6), all of which are hexagonal, consisting of plates, prisms, star-shaped designs, or a combination of these forms. In general simple |
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