Snow Ghosts, February 11, 2010
by John Farley
While skiing at Ski Santa Fe in the Santa Fe National Forest on February 10, I encountered one of the best displays I have seen of what skiers call "snow ghosts." These occur when trees become rimed from supercooled water droplets in fog, and substantial amounts of snow fall. It happens most often at ski areas on mountains where the cloud bases are substantially lower than the top of the ski area, so that the upper part of the ski area becomes enshrouded in fog. The falling snow then sticks to the rime on the trees, giving them a ghostly appearance that is especially impressive once clearing occurs, giving the snow-ghosts the deep blue background of the western skies. Here are a few pictures from February 10:
All photos copyright 2010 by John E. Farley
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