Snow Crystals!
While it may be true that no two snowflakes are alike, they do all fall into one of more than sixteen categories, some of which are fern-like, columns, needles, plates and triangular. Snowflakes do not have to have six sides, and most people never knew that they are not all two dimensional. The artificial snow that many skiers are familiar with does not form into a flake but rather as fine droplets. This accounts for why it is less appealing to skiers. Natural snowflakes are formed most perfectly when the temperature is around twenty three degrees Fahrenheit.
Natural Snowflakes
Alfred University: How snowflakes are formed
Arizona University: Snow crystal patterns
Williams School: An experiment to prove no two flakes are alike
University of Alaska: The life history of a snowflake
TJ Today: What is in the air will affect how the flake forms
Designer Snowflakes
Beltsville: Electron microscopy snowflake photos
Library of Congress: The mystery of the complex snowflake
Wilson A Bentley: The man who photographed more than 5,000 snowflakes
Rochester: Students learn to photograph microscopic snowflake images
Nathan B Magee: This site shows his pictures and other snowflake information
Snowflake Physics
Cal Tech: A very comprehensive site describing snowflake physics
NOAA: Why snowflake physics matter to weather forecasters
Oswego Schools: An experiment to discover snowflake physics
Lafayette University: A study of snowflake physics
Weber: A simple diagram of the snowflake molecule
Snow Activities
Build a Snowman: Songs to sing while building him
Snowsculpting: Make beautiful art out of piles of snow
Ski: Helpful hints for learning how to snow ski
Sledding: Recommendations for the right sled based on age and weight
Dog Sledding: The Iditarod, the most famous dog sledding race in the world
Ice Activities
Ice Sculpting: The National Ice Carving Association
Ice Skating: Properly fitting ice skates for safety
Curling: The basics of this five century old sport
Ice Climbing: Climbing the frozen waterfalls and other ice forms
Ice Boating: This sport is for the most wild at heart