Snow Sculpture

Everyone has seen this iconic landmark: http://rhodeygirltests.com/2010/03/31/philadelphia-pa-1/.  It's bold, fun, and catches attention.  

So after a whole lot of snow was dumped in my hometown, I decided to make my own statement!  Snowmen are too mainstream, igloos blend into the landscape too much, I was going to go big, and bold, and modern.  

This new type of snow structure looks really neat, and the large size is impressive.  It is not difficult to do either, with a little time and an adventurous spirit!

Step 1: Materials

Materials:
-large wooden planks (this will be used to help smooth out the sides/compress the snow...see step 4)
-shovels
-cooler (I removed the lid of the cooler to help dump out the snow/pack the snow.  You could use anything really to pile/carry snow.  For me a cooler worked really well to get "snow bricks")
- GOOD SNOW! (It must be wet enough to be compressible.  It should easily form a snow ball.  If it is not wet enough, just wait one day or two for the snow to melt a little bit, so it is wetter.  Or... if you are super enthusiastic and simply can't pass up the ONE snow day you get, mix the snow with some water.)

Comments

[silverassassin3]

very awesome! at first glance the first picture look like its inside the house

[David Catriel]

Very cool idea. Need to keep it in mind for next year!

[surfdude]

Great job, made me smile when I saw it. The effort is impressive.

[canucksgirl]

You sure got a lot of snow... if you don't mind me asking, where do you live?

[Geni-us]

Yeah, I live in colorado, and we've had quite a few dumps of over a foot of snow this year. Were pretty close to the record!

[rc jedi]

awesome!

[alisonb]

I love this, thanks for sharing.

[scottkuma]

Is it really a good idea to use an ELECTRIC chainsaw to make this? I would think that electricity + ice + friction = electricity + water = BAD.

Not "Don't cross the streams" bad, but definitely "Important safety tip" bad...

Maybe battery-powered, so at least you aren't hooked to mains? (How willing are you to trust that GFCI breaker, anyhow?)

[Geni-us]

That is a good point. Thanks for pointing it out. I was very carefull about working with the electric saw (electricity and water could be VERY bad). I only have an electrical chainsaw, so just used it very carefully. I would definitly recommend using a gas powered chainsaw if you have access to one.