walking on snow crust [Digest urth.v008.n015]

John Bishop · 27 Mar 1998, 08:51 · from urth-v0008.mbox · original

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From: John Bishop <jbishop at alexus.zko.dec.com>
Subject: (urth) Re: walking on snow crust [Digest urth.v008.n015]
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 08:51:12
Message-ID: <urth-v0008-0672 at digest.urth.net>
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[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other work=
s]

I get to see a lot of snow; maybe I can speak to this
based on my upstate New York/New Hampshire background.

The crust is a result of settling and freeze-thaw cycles.
It can vary from supporting nothing more than a leaf to
holding a large adult.  New snow holds nothing.  Of course
other climates could either produce more crust or none.
Where does Wolfe live?  The snow crust there might be=20
stronger.

The "usual" case here is freeze-thaw cycles in the early or late
winter make a crust strong enough to hold a small child (under
50 lbs), but all others will fall through.  Fairly often it'll
hold a large child.  It's rarely strong enough to hold me--once
this winter, not at all last winter.

Snowshoes are surprisingly small these days--big boots on
Cutthroat would make a difference; lighter gravity would as
well.
	-John

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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