Featured on BBC Radio Humberside talking about My Experience Snow Sculpting in Australia Carving Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards From Snow

I’ve just been featured on BBC Radio Humberside Kofi Smiles Breakfast show talking about my recent adventure snow sculpting in Austria, which might sound a bit unusual coming from someone based in Yorkshire! You’d be right to think we’re not exactly famous for our snow quality, but that didn’t stop my partner, Justin Scott, and me from heading down to Austria to compete in an international snow sculpting competition https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl7r

A big thank you to Kofi Smiles and the BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast team!

Upon the announcement of this year’s theme, which was winter sports, Justin and I immediately thought of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards. He’s such a warm, iconic British character, and we couldn’t pass up the chance to sculpt him. The organisers loved the idea, and so we packed our tools and flew out to take on this challenge.

We arrived on a Saturday, and while we couldn’t start sculpting until Monday, we used the time to inspect the snow piles and plan our approach. This project was one of the biggest we’ve tackled—we asked for two snow piles, each about 100 tons. The idea was to depict Eddie coming down a ski slope and launching off a jump ramp. It’s ambitious, to say the least, and the weather wasn’t exactly on our side, with temperatures expected to drop as low as minus 14 degrees.

Working in these conditions isn’t easy. You have to break it down into manageable chunks—work for a couple of hours, warm up with some Yorkshire tea, and then get back out there. The snow we’re sculpting with is compacted and feels more like working with concrete than the soft snow you’d use for a snowman. It’s a delicate process, especially when you’re trying to preserve the integrity of the structure while adding intricate details.

The process starts with sketching and planning. Once we’re on-site, we build terraces around the snow pile so we can work from the top down. It’s tricky because you need to get as much done as possible before the Friday deadline, but you also want to keep the supports in place for as long as you can to avoid any structural damage.

We’ve had our share of close calls over the years. I remember when we were sculpting a ringmaster, and a snowcat almost took off an arm of the sculpture. Another time, part of the stage we were sculpting for an Elton John piece got knocked away. Fixing those kinds of issues isn’t easy because the snow is so densely packed—it’s not something you can roll back into place.

As for how I got into this, it’s a bit of an unconventional story. Unlike Justin, who’s a trained figurative sculptor, I started out as a business consultant and fitness coach. My journey into snow sculpting began in 2016 when Justin’s usual sculpting partner couldn’t make it. Justin called me up and asked if I’d be willing to help out. I had no experience in sculpting, but I figured I could at least help shovel snow. Since then, Justin has been a great teacher, and while I’m not at his level, I’ve picked up enough skills to hold my own and contribute to our projects.

It’s been a fantastic experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing how our sculpture of Eddie "The Eagle" turns out. The physical aspect of the work is intense, but it’s incredibly rewarding to see a pile of snow transformed into something that tells a story. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this, and I can’t wait to share the finished piece with everyone.

Thanks for following along, and I’m excited to catch up with you all once the competition wraps up!