ABSTRACT
Snow represents both a valuable resource and a menacing natural hazard. Knowledge concerning the equally significant negative social and economic impact of snow and ice is probably more sketchy. Snow is the principal source of water not only in many of the world’s mountainous areas but also in the densely settled plains and valleys adjacent to them. Participation in recreation associated with snow and ice has been expanding faster than most other forms of recreational activity, with skiing the most prominent beneficiary. The snow-based recreation industry of western Europe is even more important than that of North America, both absolutely and in relative economic terms. An accurate assessment of the troublesome effects of snow in urban areas urgently requires some type of categorization. South of the high-exposure zone is a narrow transitional area where disruption is moderately high in relation to snowfall and where inter-site variation is substantial.
