The International Aviation Snow Symposium (I.A.S.S.) was first held in April 1967 in Allentown, PA under the General Chairmanship of Wilfred (Wiley) M. Post Jr., Manager of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Airport (ABE), and founding Honorary Chairman Col. Bernt Balchen USAF Ret. The purpose of the symposium, then and now, is to provide a forum for dialogue on the numerous aspects of winter operations at airports.

A battery of runway snow removal equipment in use.

Early discussions focused on equipment, technique and shared experiences. Today, over 40 years later, topics include the use of chemicals, advanced communications and weather reporting systems as well as environmental, security, legal and financial considerations.

The first symposium was attended by 200 individuals from the US and Canada. In recent years, as many as 800 attendees participated from countries around the world, which included Russia, Scandinavia and Canada. Currently, the International Aviation Snow Symposium is the largest gathering of its kind exclusively focused on winter airport operations.