Crack growth under three-point beam bending and fracture energy estimation for snow in relation to acoustic emission responses

•Initiation, nucleation and growth of crack in snow beam under 3-point bending.•Analysis and interpretation of AE parameters for bending and failure of snow beam.•Identification of AE patterns for different regimes of bending and failure of snow.•AE spectral responses for bending, and initiation and growth of crack in snow.•Correlation between the AE energy and the fracture surface energy for snow beam.