A team of about 40 professional snow and ice sculptors from Ireland, Hungary, Canada, Russia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, England, the United States, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands create the snow and ice sculptures in a two-week period. These artists have many years of experience in creating snow and ice sculptures and participate in numerous international competitions every year, where they have won many awards for their work.
Techniques and tools?
What kind of techniques are used to create a snow sculpture?
Solid blocks can be made from loose snow by tamping the snow layer by layer into rough shapes (such as moulds or wooden forms) and can be done with your feet. The filling of the moulds is done with a snowblower, but the snow can also be scooped by hand. The snow freezes properly after sitting in the moulds for three days.
Then the moulds are removed and the basic shapes are plotted. After that, the cutting of the fine shapes in the upper blocks of snow begin. After that, the total area is then processed.
What kind of tools are used to create a snow sculpture?
Special tools are used to cut the snow. The sculptors exchange tips among themselves and discuss everything thoroughly. Every sculptor has his favourite tools, which relate to his particular expertise in sculpturing.
The same chisels use in woodworking are mainly used for detailed work. For bolder shapes, sharpened shovels or machetes and long chains are used with which blocks are sawed through.
Which tools are used when creating an ice sculpture?
Once the blocks, which easily weigh around 1,500 kilos, have been placed in the right position, the artists get to work. They use special tools for this. For detailed work, the sculptors use all kinds of chisels similar to the ones used in woodworking, but they also use sanders or steam irons to give the ice a beautifully smooth finish. For bolder shapes, the sculptors use heavy chainsaws.