#lake lucerne

Lac des Quatre-Cantons (Lake Lucerne)

Alexandre Calame

oil on canvas, 1848-1852

World Snow Day

So much joy can be had when the winter weather comes! As long as you're dressed appropriately with the right gear, the cold weather doesn’t need to get in the way.

Celebrating and participating in winter sports and outdoor fun is a delightful way to spend World Snow Day!

History of World Snow Day

The International Ski Federation (also known as FIS—from their official French title, Fédération internationale de ski et de snowboard) is the organization that founded World Snow Day. The FIS was begun back in 1910, when delegates from ten different countries got together in Norway. Now the world’s foremost governing body for Olympic events such as skiing and snowboarding, the International Ski Federation includes at least 180 groups of different national skiing organizations.

World Snow Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January each year; the inaugural celebration started in 2012. World Snow Day, however, was the second phase of the FIS campaign to get more kids involved with snow sports. The first phase, which was called ‘Bring Children to the Snow’, began five years earlier.

The purpose of World Snow Day is to encourage families to make lasting memories with their children, as well as to offer opportunities for kids to have experiences with winter sports like snowboarding and skiing.

How to Celebrate World Snow Day

Get on board with skiing, snowboarding and a number of other different activities in celebration and enjoyment of World Snow Day. Start with some of these fun ideas:

Create a World Snow Day Event

World Snow Day offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy the day by gathering some friends and family members to participate in a winter sports event. Whether it’s sledding, skiing or snowboarding, it’s fun to get people together to celebrate the day on the slopes!

Those who host public World Snow Day events, such as ski slopes or snowboarding parks, can register their local events on the website to get more traction with various participants.

Make Snow Ice Cream

One fun treat to enjoy on National Snow Day is ice cream that is made from snow! Kids will love the idea of eating a treat made in this special way. Add eight cups of freshly gathered snow to one can of sweetened condensed milk and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix together, add toppings and serve immediately.

Learn Fun Facts About Snow

Spend some time on World Snow Day to glean some information about the most important part of the day which is, of course, the snow. Raise awareness by sharing some fun bits of trivia with friends or coworkers. Try out some of these fun facts for World Snow Day:

Snow is a natural sound buffer. When it falls, a layer of fresh snow can act as a buffer to absorb the sound waves and create a much quieter ambience where sounds don’t bounce around.

Chionophobia is the fear of snow. People with this fear have an extreme reaction to snowy weather and can have a huge impact on everyday life. The name is chionophobia because the Greek word for snow is chióni.

Some monkeys love snow. Macaque monkeys, which are native to Japan, are known as snow monkeys and have been observed playing with snowballs that they have made.

Snowflakes can be pretty fast. While some snowflakes can fall at a fairly slow and leisurely rate, other times they may be moving at a speed that is somewhere around 9 miles per hour and, of course, the wind can help to speed up their movement.

Enjoy Snow Themed Crafts with Kids

School teachers and parents might want to consider making some different crafts and art projects that are themed around the idea of snow. Even if it’s too cold, or if there doesn’t happen to be snow on the ground, it can still be fun to celebrate. Get started with some of these World Snow Day craft ideas for kids:

Build an Indoor Snowman. Cut out circles in three different sizes from white paper. Stack them on top of each other and glue them together. Add accessories including a black top hat, a carrot nose, coal briquettes for buttons and perhaps a bright red scarf to top it all off!

Make Paper Snowflakes. This can be a fun way to get creative with something as simple as white paper and just a pair of scissors. Start by folding the paper into several different folds and then make cuts out of the edges or in the middle. Open it up to reveal a unique snowflake!

Write a Snow Poem. Those who are more artistic with words might want to write a little poem, short story or haiku about snow. Then do a read-aloud so that everyone can share their clever written Snow Day projects.

Make a Snow Globe. Use glass canning jars with lids to create a cute snow globe. Build a scene on the lid by gluing small figures such as trees or other items. Fill the jar with glycerine and glitter, then screw the lid on top to create a fun, homemade snow globe.

Take a Snowy Vacation

Have the most fun on World Snow Day by planning a skiing or snowboarding vacation. Some of the best possible places around the world to ski may include:

Zermatt, Switzerland. With some of the world’s beautiful mountains, Zermatt is the highest area for winter sports in all of the Alps. The Matterhorn is one of the most unbelievable peaks and the world’s highest lift is located there at over 3800 meters in altitude.

Courchevel, France. Get some of the best snow thrills that can be found in the world with this mountain that is not for the faint of heart! With ten summits higher than 2500 meters, it’s an amazing delight.

Whistler Blackcomb, Canada. This one offers some of the best skiing in North America with more than 200 different runs and 37 lifts.

World Snow Day FAQs

What can you do on World Snow Day?

World Snow Day can be filled with all sorts of fun, winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding and sledding.

What are the chances of a snow day?

The chances of a snow day very much depends on the particular location. People in the US can choose to use an online snow day calculator.

Does it snow in California?

Yes, some regions of California get snow, such as the western fronts of the mountain ranges.

Do snow days still exist?

Since the world got used to having options for online or remote school, bad weather days may no longer be needed in some school districts.

How much snow for a snow day?

In the southern portions of the US, almost any snow will bring about a snow day and canceled school. In the northern states, it may be around 2-3 inches.