Snow is not actually white, rather it's translucent. The light reflecting off it makes it appear white with the many sides of the snowflake scattering light in all directions. Dust, pollution or cold-loving algae can also colour it black, orange or blue.
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Freshly fallen snow absorbs sound, giving everything a quieter ambience after a snowfall. If the snow melts and refreezes, the ice can reflect sound waves making sound travel further.
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It's often stated that the Inuit have 50 words for snow, which is roughly accurate. However researchers at the University of Glasgow claim that the Scots language has 421 words related to snow! These include "skelf" (a large snowflake), "spitters' (small drops of driving snow) and 'unbrak' (the beginning of a thaw).
