Buzz
Distinct sastrugi patterns etched into the snow, captured in the Dithmarschen region of Germany. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)In the late 19th century, German-American anthropologist Franz Boas journeyed through northern Canada and became captivated by the indigenous languages he encountered. The Inuit and Yupik peoples seemed to possess an astonishing number of words for snow. Today, it's estimated that between the two tribes, their combined snow vocabulary exceeds 50 distinct terms.
English too has its own unique snow-related terms, though not as many as those found in Inuit and Yupik languages. For example, there is the word 'sastrugi,' used to describe the sharp, ice-like ridges that fierce winds carve into snow-covered surfaces.
Sastrugi, as you might guess, doesn't resemble many English words. That's because it hasn't been part of the English language for long—likely no more than 200 years. It originates from the Russian word 'zastrugi,' meaning 'small ridges.' Sastrugi can be found on land or over sea or lake ice, predominantly in the polar regions of our snow-covered world.
Sastrugi form in a manner similar to desert sand dunes. When fine snow grains are blown together by strong winds and freeze solid, they create hardened ridges on the snow's surface. When the wind picks up again, it erodes the surface of the sastrugi, undercutting the snow dunes and crafting stunning ice sculptures.
However, those who have had to traverse sastrugi report that these formations are difficult to navigate, whether on foot, skis, or even with a sled. Beautiful as they are, they are also known as 'nature's speed bumps.'
The Inuit of Canada refer to sastrugi as kalutoqaniq, while the Norwegians call them skavler.
