Not too long ago, a strange white creature with two large eyes and long ears flew from an unknown planet across the entire universe and landed on Earth.

Its journey was incredibly long and tiring, but it was worth it. What this cute creature experienced from then on was truly exciting.

“Snowli, you’ve had a very long journey to get here to Earth. You must understand that snow, too, has a very long and difficult journey before it reaches the ground! Snow isn’t actually just frozen rain. The delicate white snowflakes form inside clouds. Clouds are like a factory that produces tiny crystals, and these are then combined to create snowflakes. When it’s warm, the flakes melt as they fall to Earth and become raindrops. Only in winter, when it’s very cold, do the flakes fall to Earth as snow.”

Snowli could hardly believe that such incredible things happened on Earth and listened attentively to the snowman: “As they fall, the flakes are sometimes carried far away by the wind and pass through moist, cold, and warmer layers of air. These change the flakes, which then take on the most incredible shapes. There are stars, columns, needles, triangles, and squares.” There are thousands and thousands of shapes, and nobody knows if two identical ones have ever fallen to Earth!

"Do you know which is the most beautiful shape?" asked the snowman. "No," replied Snowli, quite bewildered. "The most beautiful shape is definitely the star! That's a snowflake with six points. Next time it snows, let's try to look at one very closely. You'll see, it's so uniform and fragile that you'd think it wasn't from around here!"

"But why do different temperatures change the shape of the flakes?" asked Snowli. "When it's very cold," continued the snowman, "the snow is dry and powdery because the flakes can't stick together. When it's warmer, on the other hand, the snow melts a little and becomes wet. That's why it's much easier to build a snowman with wet snow than with dry snow, because it sticks together much better!"

Snowli, full of curiosity, suddenly asked Mr. Longnose: "How many flakes are you actually made of?" "Oh! Oh! Oh! That's a difficult question, Snowli! So many that it's impossible to count them!" Mr. Longnose replied with a smile.

“These ‘very special devices’ are called ‘skis’ or ‘snowboards,’” the snowman continued. “Skis, like snow, have a long and incredible history. You have to understand that they were invented thousands of years ago, and their inventors used them in exactly the same way we use them today. Initially, they weren’t needed for gliding, but primarily to prevent sinking into deep snow. They were used daily in winter, when snow covered hills and valleys, to get around or to hunt animals. At that time, skis were more like snowshoes. Like all everyday objects, they evolved over time, changed shape, and became an important means of transportation, allowing people to walk and glide.”

“Long, short, narrow, or wide, made of painted or unpainted wood, skis are no longer used for the same purpose as they once were. Today, they are a recreational device.” "You'll see, there's nothing better than skiing in the middle of a forest."

"And snowboarding?" asked Snowli. "Snowboarding," explained Mr. Longnose very competently, "is a modern sport invented to excite young people. They're the crazy ones who surf huge waves in the ocean, and they had the idea to do surfing on snow. The big snow sports family consists of skiing and snowboarding, but also cross-country skiing and telemark skiing, the latter being something like the father of the family."

The snowman was a huge source of information, and Snowli was the most curious creature ever to land on Earth... Together they went for a walk.

It was wonderful to sleep after such a long journey, with all the incredible things on Earth, all so new to our little friend.

But the best part was that he could sleep knowing he was safe in a beautiful place where there were still so many new and interesting things to learn, and he dreamed and dreamed...

Even though he didn't always make it and sometimes fell, he enjoyed it. The soft snow cushioned his falls, and it didn't hurt. Besides, it was easy to get back up and keep going.

The penguin was just as nice as the bear. He gave him so many tips that Snowli felt like a little penguin. What an indescribable feeling!

Snowli got faster and faster. The slope got even steeper at the bottom, and there were trees everywhere! He had to be careful not to hit any! "Ski, brake, step to the left, ski, brake, and then step to the right—it's tedious," thought Snowli.

“Hello little one,” it said, “should I teach you how to jump?” “Of course,” replied Snowli, “I even want to learn to fly. But who are you?” “I’m the kangaroo, the king of jumps. I can teach you how to jump, but not how to fly.”

The kangaroo made many jumps and leaps. Snowli sometimes thought he could touch the sky with his hands. Often he jumped so high and far that he thought he would never touch the ground again.

The kangaroo, the king of jumps, gave him so many tips that Snowli felt like a little kangaroo himself. What an indescribable feeling!

Before saying goodbye to the kangaroo, Snowli made one last jump. The jump was so high that he thought he was back in space, on his way home.

“No!” cried Snowli, “I want to stay on Earth!” "I want to learn new things!"

Mr. Longnose had never moved, yet some children swore they saw him laughing and straightening his carrot nose when he saw Snowli playing with them.

Snowli was the friend of all the little champions in the snow village. He brought joy to everyone, and everyone was interested because he could now do anything he wanted on the snow with skis and a snowboard. He moved forwards and backwards with ease; he could ski, turn, jump, and even invent funny tricks, which was his real specialty!

Do you want to try some fun tricks on the snow too? Just ask Snowli for some tips.