Huskies, drinking in winter

Question
Our dog is 8 years old, a pound dog that looks like a siberian huskie.  We run him about 3 miles twice a week, walk him 1/2 hour a day, and skijor with him in the winter a few times a week.  He has an acre enclosure for running around most of the afternoon.  

Does he need water in the winter here in Duluth, when there is a foot of snow on the ground?  In past winters he has gone many weeks without water, and instead eats snow regularly, for example when we are skijoring or running.

Answer
You want to provide him with fresh water every day still. Snow provides very little moisture, and can drastically lower the body temperature making hypothermia possible. Also if not given water, because of the small amount of water in snow, he can get irreversible kidney damage, and Bladder infections.
Wikipedia Quote-
"New snow commonly has a density of around 8% of water. This means that 33 centimeters (13 in) of snow melts down to 2.5 centimeters (1 in) of water"

 So imagine how little water he gets per mouthful and how much his little body has to work to keep him warm and turn that into water.

Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow

If you have anymore questions please ask!
-Michelle B