Man carves 295ft-tall fox into a frozen lake in Finland using a shovel

Pictured: The jaw-dropping 295ft-tall fox carved into a massive frozen lake in Finland by one man using a shovel

• Pasi Widgren drew the fox on Lake Pitkajarvi, north of Helsinki, and used a snow shovel to map out the shape
• Widgren kept ice pick awls [rescue tools] looped around his neck while drawing in case the ice cracked 
• The architect-designer has been drawing animals – such as a bear and an owl – onto the lake since 2016

An architect-designer in southern Finland has returned to a frozen lake with a snow shovel to draw a large animal on the ice for the sixth year in a row, creating an artwork that he hopes will ‘make people happy and encourage them to go out to hike in a beautiful nature’.

On December 4, Pasi Widgren drew a fox that measures about 90m (295ft) on Lake Pitkajarvi, north of Helsinki. 

In previous years, he used a shovel to sketch a bear and an owl, always using the same lake as his canvas.

On December 4, Pasi Widgren drew a fox that measures about 90m (295ft) on Lake Pitkajarvi, north of Helsinki 

Widgren has drawn animals on local lakes every winter since 2016 near his home in a village not far from Lahti, a town of 120,000. The drawings disappear when more snow falls or when the ice melts.

The idea for the ephemeral art came ‘suddenly a couple of years ago when I realized I may have a special ability of coordination to do this kind of thing myself’, the 40-year-old told The Associated Press.

When he reached Lake Pitkajarvi this month, he tested the thickness of the ice to make sure it was dense enough to walk and work on. At 10 to 15 centimetres (four to six inches) thick, it was.

Widgren revealed that he had ice awls around his neck in case the ice cracked and he needed to rescue himself, adding: ‘Then I sketched the contours of the figure by walking and thinking it to match my image of fox at the same time and then I started to “draw” by using (the) snow shovel.’

When Widgren reached Lake Pitkajarvi, he tested the thickness of the ice to make sure it was dense enough to walk and work on with his snow shovel (pictured)

Widgren hopes that the drawing will ‘make people happy and encourage them to go out to hike in a beautiful nature’

Four hours later, Widgren was done.

He said: ‘I walked to the top of the cliffs 45m (about 150ft) above the lake to look at the end result, drank coffee from my thermos bottle and took some photos and videos as a memory of doing this.’

The fox was less visible by Monday because it had snowed a little, Widgren said.

‘It’s very important to me also that making this kind of art doesn’t leave any (marks) to nature,’ he said.

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