Quick Answer
Yes, you can drink melted snow to survive, but there are some important factors to consider. Melting snow provides water, which is essential for survival, but snow can contain contaminants and does not contain any nutrients. Drinking only melted snow can lead to dangerous electrolyte imbalances. It’s best to melt and boil snow before drinking it, and eat food for nutrients if possible. Melted snow alone should only be consumed in a true survival situation with no other water sources available.
What is snow?
Snow is a form of precipitation that forms when water vapor in the atmosphere freezes into ice crystals. It originates from water evaporated from bodies of water, like oceans and lakes. Snowflakes form when water vapor condenses directly into ice around tiny particles like dust or soot.
As the ice crystals fall through the sky, they can stick together and agglomerate into snowflakes. The intricate shapes of snowflakes depend on the temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors during formation. Once on the ground, the individual snow crystals clump together into the familiar fluffy white snow.
Is all snow safe to ingest when melted?
No, not all snow is necessarily safe to ingest when melted. Here are some key factors to consider about the safety of melted snow:
1. Contaminants
Snow can pick up contaminants as it falls through the atmosphere or as it accumulates on the ground. These can include:
– Air pollution like smoke, car exhaust, and industrial emissions
– Dirt, debris, and microplastics
– Bird or animal droppings
– Chemical residues from fertilizers, pesticides, road salt, etc.
– Toxic substances like heavy metals, gasoline, or antifreeze
Consuming contaminated melted snow could cause illness, so it’s best to select relatively clean snow and filter or boil it before drinking. Avoid using snow near roads or in urban areas when possible.
2. Bacterial and viral pathogens
Snow can potentially contain disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or protozoa if it has come into contact with infected bird, animal, or human waste. Examples include:
– E. coli
– Salmonella
– Hepatitis A
– Giardia
– Norovirus
Boiling melted snow will kill most pathogens, so this is recommended before drinking whenever possible.
3. Age and condition of snow
Older snow that has partly melted and refrozen may have higher contaminant levels on the surface. Yellowed or brownish snow may indicate the presence of dirt, wildlife waste, or microorganisms. It’s best to avoid consuming this type of snow.
Freshly fallen white snow has the lowest risk of contamination. However, blowing winds can still pick up contaminants, so filtering is still advised.
Is it safe to drink melted clean snow?
Yes, drinking melted clean snow is safe in a survival situation. Freshly fallen snow in remote wilderness areas is less likely to have significant contaminants.
However, there are still some safety precautions to take:
– Boil snow before drinking whenever possible to kill pathogens
– Filter melted snow through a clean cloth, coffee filter, or other porous material to remove particles
– Discard any yellowed, dirty, or odd-smelling melted snow
– Avoid eating large amounts of unmelted snow, as this can lower your core body temperature
Drinking moderate amounts of properly prepared melted clean snow can safely provide hydration in an emergency situation with no other water sources available.
What are the risks of drinking only melted snow?
While melted snow can provide hydration, there are some risks to only consuming melted snow and no other fluids or foods:
Electrolyte imbalance
Drinking only melted snow and no other fluids can lead to dangerously low sodium and other electrolyte levels. This is because snow lacks electrolytes like sodium and potassium that are present in regular water and body fluids.
Low sodium, known as hyponatremia, can cause fatigue, nausea, confusion, muscle spasms, and even seizures or coma. Melting snow concentrates any contaminants present, exacerbating the electrolyte depletion.
Dehydration
Paradoxically, drinking only snow can lead to dehydration. Eating ice or snow lowers the temperature inside your body. As your body tries to melt the snow internally, this cools the body and causes vasoconstriction to preserve heat. This slows the absorption of the melted water in the stomach.
So while you may be ingesting a volume of fluid with snow, less overall ends up being utilized by the body. Supplementing snow with heated fluids can help.
Hypothermia
Consuming large volumes of snow can lower your core body temperature and increase the risk of hypothermia. The body expends energy to melt the snow internally, leading to faster heat loss. Keeping hydrated with warmer fluids when available reduces this risk.
Frostbite
Eating snow can damage skin cells in the mouth and throat through direct freezing, leading to frostbite. This can cause painful damage to delicate tissue. Drinking smaller amounts of snow at warmer temperatures melts it before frostbite occurs.
Constipation
The cold temperature of snow and lack of nutrients can slow digestion, potentially leading to uncomfortable constipation. Warm fluids and electrolytes aid digestion.
Does snow provide any nutrition?
No, snow itself does not contain any beneficial nutrition like calories, vitamins, minerals, or electrolytes. It is simply frozen water vapor.
However, eating snow is sometimes advised in survival situations because it provides hydration, which is essential. But snow alone will not provide any energy or nutrition.
Survival considerations
In a true survival situation with no other water sources available, melted snow may be the only option to prevent dehydration. However, it is only a short-term emergency solution, not a long-term drinking water plan.
If stranded in the wilderness, you should also attempt to get nutrients by:
– Hunting, fishing, or trapping game
– Foraging for edible plants and insects
– Using any food packs or supplements available
Protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals are needed in addition to water to maintain energy and health. Plan to move to find natural flowing water and food sources as soon as possible to supplement melted snow.
How to melt snow for drinking
If drinking melted snow in an emergency, use these guidelines to melt and prepare it safely:
Select fresh, clean snow
Look for the whitest snow in the least contaminated area possible. Avoid old, dirty, or yellow snow. Get snow from higher elevations if available.
Melt slowly over low heat
Place snow in a metal container and melt over a low flame or other heat source. Go slowly to avoid burning. Don’t eat unmelted snow.
Boil for 1 minute if possible
Bring melted snow to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute to kill bacteria and viruses. At high altitude, boiling may happen at a lower temperature.
Filter melted snow
Remove large particulates by pouring through cloth or a makeshift filter. A coffee filter, towel, or several layers of clean fabric can work.
Disinfect melting container
Start with a clean container to melt snow. If possible, briefly heat container before use to kill microbes. Avoid using toxic materials for melting.
Drink in moderation
Drink melted snow in small amounts over time rather than all at once. About 1 liter per hour is a reasonable amount. Rest between drinking to gauge your body’s hydration.
Can you use snow for other survival purposes?
Yes, snow can also be utilized for:
Cleansing agent
Melted snow or handfuls of clean, powdery snow work as an emergency cleanser for hands, wounds, or clothing. The cold snow helps constrict blood vessels to slow bleeding as well.
Improvising shelter insulation
Piled snow blocks wind and provides insulation inside makeshift shelters like snow caves. Maintain ventilation to prevent excess moisture.
Signaling for help
Trapped snow reflects sunlight, so forming a large “HELP” sign on a visible surface can aid search efforts. Maintain the sign’s definition as conditions permit.
Cold compress
Applying snow directly helps reduce swelling for injuries. Applying it gently avoids causing frostbite damage.
Preserving food
Filling containers with snow can extend food storage time by keeping perishables cold longer. Don’t completely bury to avoid them freezing solid.
Melting for cooking
Clean snow provides an emergency water source for reconstituting dried foods, soups, etc. Cook over heat to avoid lowering your core temperature excessively by eating cold foods.
Table summarizing key considerations when drinking melted snow
| Advantage | Disadvantage | Recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Provides hydration source | Lacks nutrients | Also eat food if available |
| Water source when lacking other drinkable water | May contain contaminants | Boil and filter if possible |
| Available precipitation | Risk of electrolyte imbalance | Drink in moderation, supplement other fluids if possible |
| Can be life-saving temporary measure | Can lower body temperature | Keep warm, hydrate with warmed water when available |
| Free and accessible | Prolonged use provides incomplete nutrition | Plan to move to find flowing water and food sources |
Conclusion
In an emergency survival situation with no other water options, drinking properly prepared melted clean snow can be safe and lifesaving to prevent dehydration. However, snow lacks nutrients and electrolytes, so should not be consumed long-term. Boiling and filtering melted snow is ideal to reduce potential contaminants. Drinking snow is only advisable as a last resort measure and efforts should be made to find natural flowing water and supplement with food sources whenever possible for health and safety. With appropriate precautions, melted snow can be utilized for emergency hydration.