Incredible Snow Art Created By Foot (PHOTOS)

Crop circles in the snow? Or stunning works of wintry art? Orienteer-turned-artist Simon Beck put down his map and strapped on his snowshoes to create beautiful geographic patterns in the snow.

“It started as a little fun after skiing one evening,” said Beck in a statement.

One day, while training for his orienteering work on Aiguille Rouge, a mountain in Savoie, France, Beck decided to take a break. He went out on a snow-covered lake and plotted five points in a pentangle and joined them together to create a star. He filled in the triangles that were created and continued to add circles.

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“The result was impressive especially as there is a nearby chairlift that gives a bird’s eye view of the lake,” he explained. “When fresh snowfall covered the design I did another more complicated design. “

“I regarded it as a low-grade activity that detracted from orienteering training and I got told off for walking on the lakes that are supposed to be dangerous,” he said.

Beck says he regularly tests the ice before he begins his creations and has never damaged the ice on the lakes. For his designs he prefers “the right sort of snow” — powder.

“Heavy, warmer stuff is useable, although less work gets done before one gets too tired to continue, but if freeze-thaw causes a crust it can be disastrous,” he said.

The slideshow above features several designs from Beck’s work last winter at Les Arcs ski resort in Savoie, France. To see more of Beck’s work visit his Facebook page.

This article was originally published on December 12, 2013.