One of the fundamental messages instilled in us since birth is Do Not Eat Colored Snow. But what if it tastes like watermelon?

In the alpine regions of Colorado it is not uncommon to find pink snow falling in the mountains. What a surprise to open your door, walk outside and find the ground covered in snow cone. Looks good enough to eat I suppose, though I don’t think I would be the brave soul to try it.

The pink hue is caused by an algae called “chlamydomonas nivalis”. Locals call it “Watermelon Snow” because it actually has a taste very similar to watermelon. The snow (and the algae) is safe to eat, atleast in reasonable quantities. Some algae can be slightly toxic, and eating too much may result in pink diarrhea.