Why is it that you can survive a high fall into deep snow but not water?

Question

Why is it that you can survive a high fall into deep snow but not water?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Deep powdery snow can compress to an extent and absorb some of the energy of your fall. Water cannot compress, it has to move out of the way and the polar force holding water molecules together (surface tension) causes the surface of the water to behave like a solid for a split second when exposed to a high energy impact.