Brits have left their tracks in the snow of Ischgl – by making fantastic sculptures of VW cars! Yorkshiremen Justin Scott and Nigel Summersgill and London-based Dieter Faust and Tony Walker took part in the 20th annual Shapes In White snow sculpture contest in the Tyrol resort.
The theme was Volkswagen, to acknowledge the successful co-operation between Ischgl and Volkswagen now in its second winter. It was gardener Justin’s 9th time in the contest, but the first for Nigel, a craftsman and cabinet-maker, and they carved a VW Dune Buggy from a 4m pile of snow (above), which came 6th.
Justin said: “It was great to be back in Ischgl and involved in Shapes in White, but it was exhausting. The light was very flat on a couple days, so that made it difficult to see. We are pleased with the finished result and it’s good to think it will be on the slopes until the snow melts in Spring.”
German-born Dieter and London plumber Tony named their VW creation On Top Of The World. It’s Tony’s second appearance in the contest, while Dieter is a regular entrant. They came 9th. The German team of Ralf Rosa and Peter Fechtig came 1st with T(w)ouareg.
Ten pairs of artists from all over Europe took part, each with a 4m pile of snow, courtesy of the resort’s piste-grooming machines – which was easy in this season of excellent snowfall. The sculptors worked at different points all over the slopes, so the results are an open-air snow art gallery that skiers and boarders can enjoy until the exhibits melt in the spring at the end of Ischgl’s five-month winter season.
“This was probably the coldest workshop in the world,” said Ischgl Event Manager Peter Reiner. “The sculptors had mountains instead of conveyor belts, snow instead of metal, and they worked so hard to create this marvellous family of Volkswagen vehicles which are being much admired by skiers and boarders on the mountain.”
For more details on the region, visit www.ischgl.com
