Established by the National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1982 as an information and referral center for glaciological research, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) maintains data information on "snow cover and avalanches, glaciers and ice sheets, floating ice, ground ice and permafrost, atmospheric ice, paleoglaciology and ice cores." In addition to its role as an...

Snow can be one of the most destructive forces in nature but also one of the most fun to learn about. An article from Associated Press writer Lourdes Navarro, featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, describes the avalanche in the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan. Avalanche.org's Web site offers visitors up-to-date avalanche information for the western US and one area in the east, as well as...