STANDARDS

CCSS: 7.G.A.3, MP3, MP4

TEKS: G.10A

Ready, Set, Carve!

This team of snow sculptors celebrate their Indigenous roots

February 2024

By Ellyn Lapointe

The temperature is a crisp 10 degrees Fahrenheit. An imposing 8-foot cube of snow sits in front of Heather Friedli, Juliana Welter, and Maggie Thompson. The judges blast a horn, and the women rush toward the cube and start carving. Over the next 56 hours, they will transform their block into a magnificent sculpture! Together, they are Team Kwe—the only all-women Indigenous snow sculpting team in the U.S.

Every winter, Team Kwe enters snow sculpting competitions in their home state of Minnesota. They call what they do an art-sport, and it gets intense. “It’s an extreme sport. You have to be ready physically and mentally,” says Friedli.

It’s a winter day in Minnesota. The temperature is just 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Heather Friedli, Juliana Welter, and Maggie Thompson are outside in the freezing weather. A towering 8-foot cube of snow sits in front of them. A starting horn blasts, and the women rush toward the cube and start carving. Over the next 56 hours, they will transform the snow into a sculpture!

The three women are a team of snow sculptors. They call themselves Team Kwe. Every winter, they enter snow sculpting competitions in their home state of Minnesota. They’re the only all-women Indigenous snow sculpting team in the U.S.

Team Kwe calls what they do an “art-sport.” Competitions can get intense. “It’s an extreme sport,” says Friedli. “You have to be ready physically and mentally.”

Cool Competition

Judges evaluate the finished sculpture.

Snow sculpting competitions last two-and-a-half days. Teams spend most of that time outside in intense winter conditions. (They can warm up in heated tents.) Sometimes Team Kwe works through the night to finish their sculptures on time. The coldest temperature that the team competed in was -60 degrees Fahrenheit!

But the weather can change a lot throughout each event. That’s part of what makes snow sculpting challenging, the team explains. Changes in temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind affect the consistency of the snow they’re working with. When it’s really cold, the snow becomes hard and difficult to sculpt. Warm snow can be molded like mashed potatoes. “Mother Nature is our fourth teammate,” says Friedli.

Math helps Team Kwe’s members plan their sculptures and tackle problems. First, they draw a grid on the 8-foot cube of snow to visualize where each part of the sculpture will be. They mark each spot, like plotting points on a coordinate grid.

Next, they shape the block using hand tools like saws, chisels, and more. While sculpting, each team member is always thinking about the shape and the weight of the snow left behind. If they carve out too much in the wrong place, their sculpture might fall over! When time’s up, a panel of judges chooses the winning sculpture.

Snow sculpting competitions last two-and-a-half days. Teams spend most of that time outside in the snow. Sometimes Team Kwe works through the night to finish their sculptures. They take breaks to warm up inside heated tents.

Their coldest competition got down to -60 degrees Fahrenheit. But the weather changes throughout each event. That’s part of what makes snow sculpting challenging, the team explains. Temperature, moisture, sunlight, and wind all affect the snow. Extremely cold snow is hard and difficult to sculpt. Warm snow can be molded like mashed potatoes. “Mother Nature is our fourth teammate,” says Friedli.

Math helps the sculptors plan and execute their pieces. First, they draw a grid on the 8-foot cube of snow. That helps them see where each part of their design will be. They mark the spots they need to carve. It’s like plotting points on a coordinate grid.

Next, they shape the block. They use tools like saws and chisels to remove snow. As they carve, they keep an eye on the shape and weight of the sculpture. If they carve out too much in the wrong place, it might fall over! When time is up, the team stops carving. A panel of judges chooses the winning sculpture.

Cultural Connection

Courtesy Team Kwe

Team Kwe uses many tools to carve their sculptures.

Team Kwe’s sculptures are often inspired by their Indigenous roots. The teammates are Anishinaabe (ah-ni-shin-AH-beh), a people that includes related tribes from around the Great Lakes region.

One of the teachings from their culture is that women are the keepers of the water. (Kwe means “woman” in Anishinaabe.) Since snow is a frozen form of water, snow sculpting makes them feel connected to their heritage.

Team Kwe often sculpt images from Anishinaabe culture, such as a jingle dress dancer, which is a woman in a dress believed to heal the sick. “We bring certain visuals or ideas to life in the snow that might not have made it there otherwise,” says Welter.

Team Kwe’s sculptures are often inspired by their background. The teammates are Anishinaabe (ah-nish-in-AH-bay). This Indigenous group includes related tribes from the Great Lakes region. Kwe means “woman” in the Anishinaabe language.

Anishinaabe culture teaches that women are keepers of the water. Snow is a frozen form of water. So sculpting it helps Team Kwe feel connected to their heritage. They often sculpt images with Anishinaabe origins. For example, they once carved a jingle dress dancer. That’s a woman in a traditional dress believed to heal the sick. “We bring certain visuals or ideas to life in the snow,” says Welter. “They might not have made it there otherwise.”

Team Kwe's Sculptures

Courtesy Team Kwe (All Images)

This sculpture honors the jingle dress, which was created during the 1918 flu pandemic. Dancing creates a sound that is thought to bring healing to the sick.

The fancy shawl dance represents the opening of a cocoon when a butterfly emerges. It’s usually done at celebrations called powwows.

Marcel van Kammen/NiS/Minden Pictures

Team Kwe made this otter sculpture for the 2023 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Team Kwe's Sculptures

Courtesy Team Kwe (All Images)

This sculpture honors the jingle dress, which was created during the 1918 flu pandemic. Dancing creates a sound that is thought to bring healing to the sick.

The fancy shawl dance represents the opening of a cocoon when a butterfly emerges. It’s usually done at celebrations called powwows.

Marcel van Kammen/NiS/Minden Pictures

Team Kwe made this otter sculpture for the 2023 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

2-D CROSS SECTIONS

Snow sculptors use the relationships between 2-D shapes and 3-D figures to carve their sculptures. By slicing into a 3-D solid with a 2-D plane, you can see the basic shape or shapes that make up the solid. You can think of a 2-D plane as a long, wide, and thin piece of paper. The intersection of the plane and the solid, or where the plane cuts through the solid, is called a cross section.

2-D CROSS SECTIONS

Determine the 2-D cross sections of the 3-D shapes snow carvers use to make their sculptures. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

A team starts with a square pyramid. Which 2-D cross sections could they create by slicing the pyramid vertically or horizontally. Choose all that apply.

❏ square

❏ triangle

❏ circle

❏ trapezoid

❏ square

❏ triangle

❏ circle

❏ trapezoid

A. In a competition, each team is given a cube of snow. Draw a horizontal plane through the cube below.

B. What is the shape of the 2-D cross section you made?

A. In the Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition, Team Kwe sculpted a spherical ball of yarn. Draw a vertical plane through the sphere below.

B. What is the shape of the 2-D cross section you made?

Another team carves a sculpture of a horse whose head starts with a triangular face. Which of the shapes below could they slice vertically or horizontally to create a triangular face?