Why you shouldn't eat raw snow

Why You Shouldn't Eat ANY Snow, Not Just Yellow Snow

Pollution-flavored Popsicle, mmm, tasty! Now seriously, this would be kind of concern if you're camping alongside a busy highway with so much exhaust fumes throwing all the smoke from internal combustion nearby. But if you're on the wilderness, perhaps the most risky move is to be end up eating snow drenched on some mammal's piss.

 

I can certainly see why it would not be good to eat snow that is close to a roadway; but if you are out camping, or even just somewhere that is not close to a road, then I think that eating snow is fine. Snow is actually a very pure form of distilled water, since it has evaporated into the air and then come back down as snow.
When I was a kid, we all ate snow when we were outside playing. Fresh, white snow was considered a delicacy to us kids. We also loved to collect the ice sickles that gathered on the edges of the roofs, and we ate those like they were popsickles. The great big ones, we used (carefully) for pretend sword fights. Since the icesickles would break of they were banged together very hard, we were always careful when using them for sword fights, or the fight would be over before we had much fun. Of course, both icesickle-swords would be demolished before we had done very much playing with them .
I have ven read that it is better for chickens to have snow than water during the winter. They can eat the snow because it is dry, whereas the water can freeze on their skin by the face, and then it can damage that part, or even freeze it off. Horses and other livestock will all eat snow, too, although they prefer water if it is available.
So, I think that as long as you are eating fresh snow, there is no problem with doing that.

 

...it's also a contributor to hypothermia.

 

This is true; but if you are lost out in the woods somewhere, and there is no water nearby, eating a little snow at a time will help keep you hydrated . When I had livestock, I always kept a stock tank heater in the water during the cold winter months, so the horses could have warmer water to drink, and it kept it from freezing over.
Before I had that, I would take out a bucket of hot water and use that to melt the ice and warm up the water for them to drink.

PS I am pretty sure that eating snow does not give hyperthermia to kids out playing in the snow. We always seemed to be fine, regardless of whether we ate snow or not.
However...... having your lips or tongue frozen to an icesickle......now THAT was a different matter ! !

 

...for those of us who winter camp eating snow is very definitely a health hazard. It is also not recommended drinking alcohol to get warm. Eating snow contributes...

 

What the experts say...

"Snow and ice are obvious sources of water but always melt them before consuming. Avoid the urge to eat snow or ice as it will lower your body core temperature, hastening the onset of hypothermia and can cause dehydration. Eating ice may also cause blistering and sores in and around your mouth and lips."

However...I've been around long enough to know that people do their own thing regardless of what the pros may say. It's like some of my students who insisted [against all scientific fact] that they drank themselves sober.

What I instruct.

Q:
Why does eating snow dehydrate you?
A:
Quick Answer
According to Survival Cache, eating snow can dehydrate a person because a person's body expends energy to heat and melt the ingested snow. Eating snow is therefore not advised in survival situations.

BUT TO KEEP FOCUS
We are not talking about an individual who picks up a hand full of snow. We are talking about a person who desperately needs hydration.

 

Next time we get a big snow here I am am going to pick up a six pack of high fructose corn syrup free root beer and a 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream. I will lay out of work that night and drink root beer floats till I get sick
Ummm ummmm.

 

...and then again there is the annual pouring of the maple syrup into the snow.



It's all relative ain't it?