Print article Frosty’s made of it, kids play in it and Christmas carolers sing about it. And now we know bomb blasts can be hushed with it. That’s what a team of innovative airmen in Alaska confirmed recently during a four-day experiment into how effective snow is at dampening dangerous shockwaves from ordnance blasts. Ordnance teams normally use sand or water barriers for that job. The tests revealed that charges surrounded by bags filled with snow significantly reduced pressure waves emanating from the blast. That knowledge may provide an option to commanders looking for the best blast protection for their people and installations once snow barriers become available, said Air Force Master Sgt. Chance Rupp, an explosive ordnance disposal flight chief at Eielson Air Force Base. His idea kindled the experiment.