Artist Simon Beck creates gigantic winter crop circles by walking in the snow

Simon Beck creates enormous works of snow art that look like giant wintry crop circles just by walking amidst white mountaintops and cozy <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tiny-swiss-ski-town-unveals-worlds-first-solar-wing-powered-ski-lift/" target="_blank">ski lodges</a>. Believe it or not, the immense snow patterns are made entirely by foot—Beck creates them while he walks across the terrain in briquette snow shoes. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/trevor-williams-glowing-invading-forms-are-actually-light-graffiti/" target="_blank">ephemeral art installations</a> last only until the mountain winds blow them away across the valleys.

Located in the beautiful valley of Savoie, France, Beck’s patterned <a href="http://inhabitat.com/montreals-snow-village-is-a-hotel-and-bar-made-entirely-from-ice/" target="_blank">snow circles</a> decorate the expanses of the frozen lakes outside of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/commuters-can-skate-through-a-recycled-tree-forest-in-winnipegs-winter-garden/" target="_blank">ski runs</a> at Les Arcs ski resort. Overlooking <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-montblanc-house-is-a-heavenly-white-mountain-of-a-home-in-japan/" target="_blank">Mont Blanc</a>, the idyllic ski resort is a wonder of natural beauty—enhanced only by Beck’s designs. After each snowfall, Beck designs and redesigns his incredible patterns over and over on the same site.

The designs range from festive snow flakes, to trompe- l’oiel three dimensional squares, to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/super-intricate-paper-origami-masks-by-joel-cooper/" target="_blank">star bursts and spirograph patterns</a>.

<big><a href="https://www.facebook.com/snowart8848?sk=info" target="_blank">+ Simon Beck</a></big>

<big><a href="https://www.facebook.com/snowart8848?sk=info" target="_blank">+ Simon Beck</a></big>

<big><a href="https://www.facebook.com/snowart8848?sk=info" target="_blank">+ Simon Beck</a></big>

Located in the beautiful valley of Savoie, France, Beck’s patterned <a href="http://inhabitat.com/montreals-snow-village-is-a-hotel-and-bar-made-entirely-from-ice/" target="_blank">snow circles</a> decorate the expanses of the frozen lakes outside of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/commuters-can-skate-through-a-recycled-tree-forest-in-winnipegs-winter-garden/" target="_blank">ski runs</a> at Les Arcs ski resort.

Overlooking <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-montblanc-house-is-a-heavenly-white-mountain-of-a-home-in-japan/" target="_blank">Mont Blanc</a>, the idyllic ski resort is a wonder of natural beauty - only enhanced by Beck’s designs. As each snow falls, sometimes daily, Beck designs and redesigns his incredible snow patterns over and over the same site.

Walking extremely carefully, the artist sometimes spends nine hours at a time laying down the meticulous patterned tracks. Each step must be done perfectly the first time, as the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/photos-inhabitat-spends-the-night-in-quebecs-hotel-de-glace-made-entirely-from-ice/" target="_blank">soft snow</a> is unforgiving. When the snow is too shallow, Beck has used shovels to create less detailed patterns, yet still with incredible detail.

Beck is a fan of producing <a href="http://inhabitat.com/hwkn’s-massive-spiky-wendy-pavilion-coming-to-moma-ps1-this-summer/" target="_blank">mathematical patterns</a>, that have different effects when viewed from various vantage points in the changing light throughout the day. Preferring to achieve the 3D effect, he loves to snap his creations when the sun is at its highest- causing the most contrast on the designs across the lake.

But creating art work in snow has its downsides. Often times Beck is unable to finish a piece, due to fresh snow fall, or pieces he worked all day on quickly get covered by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/stunning-silverthorne-ice-castle-lights-up-the-night-in-colorado/" target="_blank">overnight snow</a>.

The impermanence adds a layer of magic to this extraordinary art form of transforming a snow field into a detailed art work. The beauty is even carried over to the warmer months, when the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6-incredible-ice-sculptures-that-will-melt-away-when-spring-comes/" target="_blank">melting lake snow and ice</a> reveal traces of the last pattern that Beck traced during the season’s last snowfall.