Winter Snow Treats: Balancing Joy with Safety After Major US Storm
As a massive winter storm recedes across a 1,300-mile stretch of the United States, leaving deep snow and bitter cold in its wake, medical and environmental experts are offering nuanced advice about a seasonal pleasure: consuming snow for culinary enjoyment.
The Medical Perspective: Prescribing Outdoor Connection
Dr. Sarah Crockett, a specialist in emergency and wilderness medicine at New Hampshire's Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, doesn't explicitly recommend swallowing snow to her patients, but she frequently advocates for increased time outdoors. When that outdoor time includes catching snowflakes on the tongue or creating frozen treats from fresh snowfall, she embraces the practice.
"To stop and just be present and want to catch a snowflake on your tongue, or scoop up some fresh, white, untouched snow that's collected during something as exciting as a snowstorm, I think that there's space in our world to enjoy that," Crockett explained. "While we need to make good choices, I think these are simple things that can bring joy."
This perspective comes as residents across affected regions, from Arkansas to New England, continue recovering from a weekend storm that brought freezing rain, ice accumulation, and significant snowfall, disrupting power networks, transportation systems, and daily routines.
Understanding Snow Contamination Risks
Despite snow's pristine appearance, experts caution that it isn't always clean enough for consumption. Steven Fassnacht, a professor of snow hydrology at Colorado State University with over three decades of research experience, explains the science behind snow contamination.
"Snow can be eaten, but you want to think about the trajectory. Where did that snow come from?" Fassnacht advises. He notes that while all precipitation cleans the atmosphere by collecting pollutants during descent, snowflakes accumulate more impurities than raindrops due to their slower fall rate and greater surface area exposure.
Fassnacht, who recently studied snow salt content in Japan, emphasizes that snow falling near industrial complexes, coal plants, or factories emitting particulates contains higher contaminant levels. He personally wouldn't hesitate to taste snow in areas without upwind industrial activity.
Practical Safety Guidelines for Snow Consumption
For those tempted to create "snow cream" (snow combined with milk, sugar, and vanilla) or "sugar on snow" (hot maple syrup poured onto snow plates) after seeing techniques demonstrated on social media platforms like TikTok, experts recommend several precautions:
- Timing matters: The initial wave of snowfall contains the highest particulate concentration. Waiting until a storm is well underway before collecting falling snow reduces contamination risk.
- Avoid ground contamination: Steer clear of yellow snow (potentially tainted by urine or tree bark) and any snow pushed by snowplows containing road salt, deicing chemicals, and debris.
- Consider location: Urban and industrial areas present higher contamination risks than remote, unpolluted regions.
Dispelling Survival Misconceptions
Dr. Crockett, who oversees the wilderness medicine program at Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine, addresses a common misconception: eating snow for survival hydration.
"If you are disoriented on a local hike, I would say your number one priority is to try to reach out for help in any way you can, ... not 'Can I eat enough snow?'" she states clearly.
She explains that the energy required to melt snow in one's mouth essentially counteracts hydration benefits while simultaneously decreasing core body temperature and increasing hypothermia risk. While outdoor enthusiasts planning extended mountain stays often melt and boil snow for purified drinking water, it shouldn't be viewed as an immediate hydration source in emergency situations.
Finding Balance Between Caution and Connection
Both experts emphasize finding equilibrium between reasonable precautions and maintaining connection with nature. Fassnacht, who tried snow cream for the first time last year when students prepared it for him, describes the experience as whimsical rather than worrisome.
"It made me think about what are the characteristics of that freshly fallen snow, and how does that change the taste sensation?" he reflects, focusing on flavors and textures rather than contaminants.
Dr. Crockett shares similar concerns about excessive risk aversion, particularly regarding children's experiences. She worries that overprotective parenting has contributed to anxiety in some young people, and that disproportionate warnings about snow consumption might reinforce harmful mindsets.
"We have to strike that right balance of making sure we're avoiding danger while not being so protective that we encourage this 'Everything is going to harm me' mentality, particularly for children," she advises.
As a mother of four, including a daughter she describes as a "passionate snow eater," Crockett values these natural connections. When she recently asked her daughter why she enjoys eating snow so much, the response was profound: "It makes me feel connected to the Earth."
"That is actually something that's really important to me, that we all have this connection to nature," Crockett concludes, highlighting the deeper significance behind simple winter pleasures.
