If you are planning a holiday in the white and cold regions for the 1st time then here is ‘wintourism 101’ that you should expect on your winter escapade.

-  Snowfall, freezing rain and sleet : 

Beautiful, white and powdery, snowfall is precipitation in the form of fluffy ice. It can also be blue or pink in color for eg. watermelon snow on a glacier in Montana is pink/red due to the presence of algae. Snowfall 101 is to make snow angels, roll snowballs and play snow fight. Before you know it, you would’ve made a big snowball, with two hands and a head with some accessories and voila, you’ve made the man of the snowtury, the snowman.

[caption id="attachment_2262" align="aligncenter" width="792"] The 1st picture of a snowman taken by Mary Dillwyn in 1845 |
Image courtesy: ATI[/caption]

Freezing rain as the name suggests is rain that turns into ice, not when it’s in the atmosphere but where it lands on any surface that is below 0°C. You might find this most evidently on roads, cars and even power lines in cold regions. It is the most dangerous amongst all types of precipitation. Sleet is pretty, small ice balls that rain.

Fun fact: The 1st photo of a snowman is also one of the 1st photos of anything. Ever.

- Glaciers and icebergs:

[caption id="attachment_2348" align="aligncenter" width="787"] Dawes Glacier,Tongass National Forest,USA | Image courtesy: gettyimages.in[/caption]

As big as football fields or hundreds of kilometers long glaciers are large, thickened masses of ice. What makes glaciers unique is their ability to move on land like slow rivers. When the ice breaks off from the glacier over the ocean, an iceberg is formed which has the impression of posing a significant threat to sea lanes worldwide.

Fun fact: Glaciers are found on every continent except Australia. 

- Ice caves and Glacier caves

[caption id="attachment_2266" align="aligncenter" width="800"] A glacier cave | Image courtesy: Google[/caption]

Any part of a natural cave that remains at a temperature below 0°C and has perennial ice is considered to be an ice cave. While a glacier ice cave is formed from a complete block of ice like found in glaciers. Both ice caves and glacier caves are a frozen wonder.

Fun fact: The world’s longest ice cave is Eisriesenwelt (German for the world of ice giants) which is more than 42 km long.

- Cold desert

[caption id="attachment_2347" align="aligncenter" width="762"] Cold desert- Ladakh | Image courtesy: thinkingparticle.com[/caption]

A typical image of a desert is a land covered with brown sand and bare human habitations, in the same sense a cold desert is covered with snow and therefore has an extremely cold climate almost throughout the year with temperatures falling below 0*C. They are usually found on plateaus or mountainous regions at high altitudes.

Fact: Greenland is the world’s largest non-continental cold desert.

- Avalanche

[caption id="attachment_2349" align="aligncenter" width="761"] Avalanche going down form Nupse, just beside Everest Base Camp | Image courtesy: gettyimages.in[/caption]

Beautiful to see from afar but deadly to experience, an avalanche is thousands of tons of snow and ice racing downhill which are seemingly unpredictable. It is most likely to occur at slopes at 30-45* where people most like to ski. Triggers are- 90% humans, most are climbers, skiers, and snowmobilers, earthquakes or snowstorms. So be aware of the weather and terrain before you embark on an adventure. Also, consider taking an avalanche education course.

Fun fact: Breeds such as German Shepherds, Border Collies and Golden Retrievers are the dogs of choice for avalanche rescue teams for saving human lives.

- Crevasse and Snow bridges

[caption id="attachment_2350" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Image courtesy: gettyimages.in[/caption]

If you find a deep open crack in an ice sheet or glacier you have found a  crevasse. It is usually 160m deep. While a snow bridge may completely cover the opening of the crevasse, it creates an illusion of an unbroken surface (which might possibly be only several centimeters thick) and thus presents a danger. All mountaineers must be trained in crevasse-rescue techniques. 

- Winter storms and blizzard

[caption id="attachment_2351" align="aligncenter" width="773"] Snow blizzard | Image courtesy: gettyimages.in[/caption]

A winter storm is a combination of heavy snow, blowing snow and/or dangerous wind chills while blizzards are more dangerous winter storms with strong wind and very low visibilities lasting a minimum of 3 hours. To protect yourself from the storms you must stay inside and if you are stuck in your car make sure the exhaust is clear of snow and turn on your car for 10 mins every hour to keep warm. Most importantly stay nourished and stay hydrated.

Fact: Blizzard winds can be as powerful as hurricane wind. 

- Animals

[caption id="attachment_2267" align="aligncenter" width="761"] A Bactrian camel
Image courtesy: Image Bazaar[/caption]

While some snowy regions have bare human habitations there are certain animals that love to go out, play and hunt in the snow. They include a variety of marsupials, hares, cats, bears, wolves and dogs, walruses, penguins, camels, monkeys, and deers.

[caption id="attachment_3479" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Layer it right with the Kosha winter travel wear collection.[/caption]

Chilly and white, winter is beautiful to experience but one must be prepared for severe conditions. With the right training and appropriate winter wear, the frosty world will promise to give you a magical and thrilling experience.

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