Ice Sculptures

With the abundance of snow and constant sub zero temperatures the Antarctic should reasonably be a paradise for the ice sculpting enthusiast.


On a recent trip with the geomorphologists I tried my hand with this form of "art".


I decided to publish it on a separate page, as I hope there will be more pieces in the pipeline. (It could also, with the improvement or decline of artistic ability, serve as a side note for my mental well being here in the Antarctic ;) )


The texture of the snow has no resemblance to that of water, with the cold there is no point where your interference with the snow leads to the melting thereof.  So it almost feels like you are sanding away layers of glass beads every time you rub your hand over the surface of settled snow.


Number 1:

Snow pebbles: I started with a random shape and eventually tried to mimic two river bed pebbles.  






















Number 2:

Obelisk: We were on top of a hill that could only be reached by helicopter, so it felt fitting that we mark our visit.  (Pity that the helicopter blew it over when it fetched us.)