Park City Warns Guests To Avoid Eating Watermelon Snow

Matt Lorelli
·1 min read

Park City Mountain Resort, Utah is warning guests that red (also known as watermelon) snow is not safe to consume.

The phenomenon occurs when a type of algae that thrives in cold temperatures moves to the surface of the snowpack to bloom and divide. This typically happens in snowfields, and protected snow patches, at high elevations during the summer.

Check out the photo of the watermelon snow below:

Caption: "Watermelon 🍉 sugar is sweet - but watermelon snow is cool! This naturally occurring phenomenon happens at higher altitudes during the summer and is caused by a type of algae that thrives in cold temperatures. When temperatures start to rise, the algae “swim” to the surface of the snow and bloom and divide thus turning the snow varying shades of pink or red. While neat to look at - we recommend that you do NOT try to eat it."

The specific type of algae that creates watermelon snow is called Chlamydomonas nivalis. While technically a type of green algae, the organism is known for its red hue.

Watermelon snow forms in sun cups on the Igan Glacier in Polar Urals, Russia.
Watermelon snow forms in sun cups on the Igan Glacier in Polar Urals, Russia.

Eating a large quantity of watermelon snow is known to cause digestive problems in humans, but it's actually a viable food source for some creatures.

Read below for more information from summitpost.org:

"Although human consumption of watermelon snow is not wholely recommended, many organisms consider the algae as a delicacy and, for some, an essential food source. Most notably, ice worms, roundworms, snow fleas, and protozoans regularly consume snow algae. At high elevations, it is common to see millions of ice worms atop snowfields during early morning and late evening hours, especially near snow algae blooms."

In summary, don't eat the red (or yellow) snow!

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