We conducted gas‐gun impact experiments on snow, with initial densities of 100–520 kg m−3and at temperatures from −2 to −23 °C and stress levels of 2–40 MPa. Carbon stress gauges were embedded in the snow to measure shock stress histories and arrival times. The unsteady and complex nature of the shock stresses necessitated the use of finite element and reverberation analysis techniques to determine the shock pressure‐density (P‐&rgr;) relationships for snow. Experimental results indicate that variations in initial snow density are reflected in differences in theP‐&rgr; deformation path. The pressure needed to compact snow to a specific final density increases with lower initial density. Snow deformation was not affected by initial temperature, but was found to be strain rate dependent. Estimated release moduli increased nonlinearly from 50 MPa at a peak compression pressure of about 15 up to 2700 MPa at a peak pressure of about 40 MPa. Calculated stress histories and shock arrival times agreed with measured values within 20%.