Man-made snow is a mixture of water and compressed air shot from snow machines. Fine droplets of water are cooled by the air as they decompress and then freeze. A fan blows the ice particles onto the slopes. The crystals formed by this process are nowhere near as intricate as those created naturally.
                                            (Kenneth Libbrecht)

Seeing Snowflakes

Man-made snow is a mixture of water and compressed air shot from snow machines. Fine droplets of water are cooled by the air as they decompress and then freeze. A fan blows the ice particles onto the slopes. The crystals formed by this process are nowhere near as intricate as those created naturally.

Credit: Kenneth Libbrecht