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Footwear impressions in snow

المؤلف:  Max M. Houck، Jay A. Siegel

المصدر:  Fundamentals of Forensic Science

الجزء والصفحة:  584

2026-09-06

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Footwear impressions in snow

Many people are surprised that it is possible to make a cast of a footwear impression in snow. They visualize pouring plaster of Paris onto a snow print having the print melt or collapse under the weight of the plaster—and indeed it would. Today, the most popular and successful method for making casts of snow print impressions is by the use of snow print wax. This comes in a spray can and is sold in bright red and brown. It is sprayed on the snow print and dries in a few minutes. This thin cast shows excellent detail but is fragile. After the wax cast dries, it is filled with cold dental casting mixture. This adds strength and bulk to the stone. When using snow print wax, precautions must be taken to keep direct sunlight away from the cast because the dark colors of the wax absorb light and might cause the print to melt. Once the wax and stone cast is made, it should be covered with a box or other container to hasten drying. Other materials such as paint thinner, spray paints, paraffin, and sulfur can be used to make snow print castings. Figure 1 is a cast of a shoe print that was made in snow.

FIGURE 1 A cast of a shoeprint that had been left in snow.