Why orange snow is blanketing Russian ski slopes

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Sunday, March 25, 2018
Why orange snow is blanketing Russian ski slopes
Why orange snow is blanketing Russian ski slopesThe Rosa Khutor Ski Resort in Sochi looks more like Mars than the slopes that recently hosted Olympic events.

SOCHI, Russia -- At one ski resort in Russia, the white stuff is...not white.

Photos and video on social media show the Rosa Khutor Ski Resort in Sochi blanketed in orange snow, which made the slopes look more like the surface of Mars than the hills that hosted events during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

According to meteorologists, the tinted snow is a product of dust from the Sahara and Arabian deserts that blew into the atmosphere and mixed with forming snow.

Despite the discolored snow, the slopes stayed open for business, creating irresistible Instagram fodder for skiers.

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