snow crust

American  

noun

1. a relatively hard, upper layer or film of ice or compacted snow on a snow surface.

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Etymology

Origin of snow crust

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snow crust

This evening Peter came and said that he was certain he had heard a bear moving about and pawing the ice; he and Pettersen had stood and listened to him scraping at the snow crust.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 Vol. I by Nansen, Fridtjof

Tracks as large as a cow, great rents in the snow crust, through which the brown earth showed in spots; these were some of the traces.

From Habits, Haunts and Anecdotes of the Moose and Illustrations from Life by Jones, Burt

With fatalistic indifference, he pushed himself off, and, after a breathless second, struck the hard snow crust, and went through it with a crash, snowshoes and all, sinking to his ankles.

From The Wilderness Trail by Williams, Frank

It was not a long ride, probably not more than a mile and a half as we went, but while tramping through the snow crust to the traps it seemed much longer.

From A Woman who went to Alaska by Sullivan, May Kellogg

We saw a red glare spreading farther and farther across the trampled snow crust, and heard a hissing, crackling noise.

From The Cryptogram A Story of Northwest Canada by Graydon, William Murray