Even when I lived in Alaska I didn't eat the snow...I won't lie, I tried it once. But you know what? It still had that chemical after taste that rain water and most untreated water has....yuk.
This is funny because when I was leaving Alaska I met a woman who was moving there while on the ferry. (One of the three ways to get around the state since roads are somewhat scarce.) Anyway, she asked me.."Is it true you can drink water from the streams?"
I laughed and said, "Um, I wouldn't. You've heard of pollution right?"
She said, "Yeah but in Alaska?"
I said, "Yeah, its in the atmosphere, so its a world wide problem."
Also, most summers the fires were so bad you couldn't breathe outside without something over your nose. Not exactly the pristine place shown on tv. And certainly not something I'd want to even inadvertently put into my body.
