Carving a massive block of packed snow into an elegant sculpture presents all sorts of challenges. It’s even tougher when the goal is an intricate mathematical shape with a gravity-defying heart.
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Earlier this month, a snow-sculpting team led by mathematician Stan Wagon of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., and artist Bathsheba Grossman of Santa Cruz, Calif., endured a demanding schedule and frigid temperatures to create such a form at the 12th annual Breckenridge International Sculpture Championship in Colorado. A “real-time” diary of the event can be found at http://stanwagon.com/snow/breck2002/index.html.