The Snow Art of Simon Best
Posted on December 30, 2013 by
Simon Best has been creating geometric patterns in the snow of the French Alps for the past decade. An Englishman who creates maps for orienteering by trade, he uses those same skills to draw out his geometric patterns around the Les Arcs 2000 ski resort, where he keeps an apartment during the ski season. Wearing snowshoes and a headlamp, he uses his trusty orienteering compass to walk out the patterns in snow covered fields or frozen lakes overnight, taking around 10 hours to finish each piece.
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Without really having a concrete explanation for why he began making these snow patterns, "It started as a little fun after skiing one evening" says Best, the creations are his main source of fitness, as he complains of constant problems with his feet.
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Acknowledging the similarities of his designs with crop circles, Best admits to their inspiration for some of his designs. He also chooses other famous geometric patterns to recreate - the Mandelbrot set, Koch curve, Sierpinski triangle are among his favorites. Though he has never participated in create crop circles, he says would like to some day. Though, he stresses only with the permission of the property owner.
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Often, his designs are but a memory the following day. Wind, or fresh snow, quickly wipe away the design. He stresses getting a photograph of the completed design while it is still fresh, sometimes using ski lifts to gain the best camera angle. "Nowadays I am getting increasingly famous," boasts Best, "I intend to maintain my position as world leader in my field and work towards the goal of producing a coffee table book that I hope will sell a million."
>>Visit Simon Best's Facebook page
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
Photo courtesy of Simon Best
