So why is snow the color white and not clear? Is it because of the way it freezes?
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A white wall looks white because it reflects* all visible light in essentially all directions randomly. Our eyes see this light coming from the wall without any order and therefore it doesn’t look like a mirror.
Similarly, snow has so many surfaces for the light to be reflected and refracted through (each snowflake has numerous surfaces) that the light comes out without any order either. As this happens for all visible light it appears white like the wall. When water freezes together to make ice, its crystalline structure allows all light to pass right through and maintain its order though it might be distorted. If you break/crack ice it looks white as you introduced many surfaces like in snow.
*Actually, the wall also transmits the light similar to how snow does. When you dye a fabric you change what light is transmitted through the fibers so this is the light that makes its way back out of the material. I had a professor show us a blue marker that actually reflects red light. This reflected light is very dim so you can’t see it unless the material beneath can absorb most or all blue light (like black paper) rather than allowing it to be transmitted (like in white paper).
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