Snowmaking gun A snowmaker checking the snow from a snowmaking gun on the Jester Trail at Sugarbush Resort, Warren, Vermont. (more) How Is Artificial Snow Made? Written by Erik Gregersen Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the... Erik Gregersen Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 26, 2026 •History How Is Artificial Snow Made?, When not enough snow falls at winter sports resorts, artificial snow is used to supplement nature’s deficit. Despite its name artificial snow is not made of different materials from real snow. Natural hexagonal snowflakes are made when ice crystals form around minute particles of dust or chemical substances in the air, or when it is very cold, ice crystals form directly from water vapor. Artificial snow is made from just...

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