Chinese snow sculptors take top prize at international competition

World Today

It’s an unusual art form that uses a medium that’s challenging and pretty unforgiving – snow. The International Snow Sculpture Championships took place this weekend in Colorado and a Chinese team was one of the top contenders.

CGTN’s Hendrik Sybrandy reports.

Using a tarp as cover from the midday sun, four Chinese artists labored over a sculpture depicting two mermaids, an intricate work made entirely of snow.

For 65 hours over five days, 16 teams competing in the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado turned huge snow piles into something meaningful and beautiful.

The sculptures began as 360 metric tons of snow which were hauled here by dump trucks and then stomped into nearly four meter high blocks by volunteers.

Artists from around the world used a variety of hand tools to carve their creations. No power tools or internal support structures allowed. Unlike other art, this is an exercise in subtraction. And by the end of the competition, they were the victors.