A ski resort in B.C. has thousands of "snow ghosts" on its slopes — but they're not quite what you might expect.
Big White Ski Resort, which is around 50 km from Kelowna, B.C., is well known for its great skiing, having recently been featured in Condé Nast Traveler's 2021 Readers' Choice Awards as one of the best ski resorts in Canada.
However, people are often less familiar with its spooky features on the slopes — it's snow ghosts.
These daunting figures tower over skiers and snowboarders making their way down the slopes. The ski resort even named one of its longest chair lifts the Snow Ghost Express.
So, what are they? Well, they are trees that have been completely covered in snow and ice, and wind gusts over time help to shape the ice structures in unique ways.
According to The Weather Network, these incredible features form when super-cooled water droplets land on to the trees, causing rime ice.
Rime ice happens when you get freezing fog, and water that has dropped below 0C but has yet to actually freeze, which often happens in high-altitude areas in the mountains.
Then, when there is snowfall on top of the rime ice, the trees are transformed into the spooky figures.
Once winter kicks in, these snow ghosts are certainly an attraction for skiers and snowboarders who regularly post images and videos up close to the trees.
However, they do come with a warning. Tree wells often form around the base of the snow ghosts so be careful.
