SNOWPACK is developed primarily for the purpose of avalanche warning. It's strength is the description of the snow cover layering and snow microstructure. Crucial weak layers and interfaces such as surface hoar, depth hoar or ice lenses are modeled. Because of its accurate mass- and energy balance, SNOWPACK is also increasingly used for climatological research. A new feature is the possibility to also model layers of soil or rock (to a variable depth). This is used for permafrost simulations. SNOWPACK has also a detailed description of the interaction with the atmospheric boundary layer. It deals with complex processes such as wind pumping and snow drift. Special attention is also given to including shortwave radiation penetration of the snow. Therefore, SNOWPACK is suitable for a detailed analysis of the energy- and mass fluxes between the atmospheric boundary layer and the cryosphere.