If you were stuck deep in the snow due to an avalanche or just slipping through and pointed a laser up, would it show on the snow's surface?

Probably not. The snow would spread out the beam, making it nearly impossible to see at the surface.

more than a few inches (provided your hands were free to spit on to find out which way was up or not), it woiud no penetrate.

 

radio tracker beacons are used instead, they WILL work up a couple of metres below the snow

Well I got one of those laser rangefinders for deer hunting and found out that if it is really foggy, or if it is raining hard or snowing hard, it doesn't work very well at all. It will give readings of about 25 to 50 yds regardless of what you are trying to range.

 

Which, I assume, is the point at which the fog/rain/snow causes the laser to reflect back to the unit.

now imagine that in densely packed snow

 

I have a half watt laser here (and it`s been snowing) I shone mine through the bottom of a jar and added snow layer at a time, after about 8 inches (more or less) there was only a dull glow in a dim room at the surface.

 

this has been tested and NO it`ll NOT work

Now, I suppose if it was a weapons grade laser, that might be different.

 

I saw a demo on TV where they were poking holes through stel plates. I was impressed.

So, you're rescuers would just be looking for a tiny hole in a snow field? That'll help them

Or they notice their steel toed safety shoes melting.

I would expect sound might be usefull. Although the satelite breaking orbit after using a high power laser would be very visible.

So, you're rescuers would just be looking for a tiny hole in a snow field? That'll help them

 

Well, they're looking down, right. So when one yells, "Omigod! I'm blind!" you know you've found them.

When U.S. completes their attack satellite array, the trick is to say very, very loudly (as you're under snow after all) "HEY, WHAT IF I'D COMMIT SOME TERRORISM TODAY!". The rescue team will have no trouble seeing where the ton weighing tungsten rod lands.

Probably not, but it might help melt it.

Melting the snow is really not something you'd want to do