Shimmering, Soft, Six Sided, Snowflakes!!

In the past week we have had 30cm of fresh snow turning the Kander valley back into a Winter postcard. At the moment cycling to and from KISC freezes our hair and gives us a fresh new coat of snowflakes. If you put a gloved hand out in front of you it is easy to see the perfect six sided shape.

So a question was asked during a staff coffee break; how do snow flakes form?
I know that my answer to this question would interest our guests as well as our Staff team…

Snowflakes are created when ice crystals form around suspended dirt particles in the atmosphere. The crystal grows in size until it can no longer be held in suspension and so it falls to the ground.

But if they form with dirt particles and water why are the snowflakes white in colour?
This is because of how our human eye perceives colour. Although it is not truly ‘white’ our brain compensates for a light source, therefore the other colour tints are subtracted and we see it as white. The snowflake scatters light over all its surface and into all its other colours and our brain only sees white.

Are there different shapes of snowflakes?

Yes there are, the snowflakes formed in very cold temperatures have sharp tips with branches on their arms. In warmer temperatures the snowflakes grow slower and have less intricate shapes. The symmetry of snowflakes can be affected by a number of environmental factors such as uneven temperatures. The shape of a snowflake reflects the weak hydrogen bonds within the water molecules. The shape of the snowflakes is dependent on the alignment of the water molecules.

Why is KISC’s crystal in the shape of a snowflake?

The Crystal was first used as the logo of the World Rover Moot in 1953, where it was also raised the first time as a flag. The idea behind it is that it’s composed of 6 fleur-de-lis / arrowheads, the symbol of Scouting, thus uniting two essential elements of KISC together, representing the essence of the Centre. It’s resemblance to a snow crystal transmitted the Centre’s dedication to Alpine Adventures, often taking place on snow-covered mountain peaks in the Swiss Alps, while keeping the Scouting element as a core component of both the  logo and the Centre.

And just as the arrowheads combine to form something new, Scouts from all over the world came together at the 5^th World Rover Moot in 1953 and still do today. Through this, the Crystal also represents the bonds of friendship that are formed at KISC.

Have a nice Winter.

Melanie (UK)

Assistant Programme Director

with a little help from Pol (LU)