Sublimation is the process in which (referring to the water cycle) ice or snow goes from a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid. Deposition is the opposite of sublimation, where the water vapor becomes ice or snow without becoming water. It is difficult to experience sublimation because the process in which gas rises into the air off of something isn't normally clear unless you get close. Sublimation occurs more often with certain weather conditions like low humidity and dry winds. It is more likely for sublimation to occur in higher altitudes.
Sublimation
a change directly from the solid to the gas state without becoming liquid