Photonics is a powerful field for monitoring a wide range of processes, from atomic spectroscopy and microscopy to satellite monitoring and medical imaging. Many optical technologies have also been used to monitor snow and ice and their properties, including absorption, scattering, albedo, density, algae, pollutants, and melting. While some of these are well-established techniques, others have undergone significant recent developments, and their application to snow and ice could provide new insights. These include spectroscopy, Hyperspectral, satellite and UAV imaging, diffuse optics, Raman spectroscopy, Fluorescence, microscopy, OCT, to name a few and provide various information ranging from spectral composition, visible-NIR-SWIR imaging, surface characterization, chlorophyll activation, water percolation, crystal structure, etc. Rapid advances in laser and detection technology through miniaturisation and lower cost are further creating new opportunities in many of these fields, while the development of multimodal optical measurement platforms offers opportunities to monitor multiple parameters through cross-disciplinary approaches. This session therefore aims to bring together researchers from diverse photonic disciplines to explore how light can be used to measure snow and its components, and to identify complementary information that can be obtained through interdisciplinary collaboration.