Yet he’s always an artist at heart and in practice. “The idea for the Olympics came from an abstract design I drew, and afterward we sculpted the model in clay. The clay sculpture sat on the shelf – literally – for five years. When the opportunity to apply for the Olympics came up, we chose it because we knew international competitions tend to want abstract art instead of representational.”

Karshna says the team enjoys brainstorming new ideas for sculptures. “The process extends throughout the year because we’re really good friends, and we’re always talking about what we’re going to do next. Dan is the sculptor who turns whatever comes from our imagination into works of art.” Dan Ingebrigtson works for Design House in Mequon, which produces ornamental garden sculptures. “He’s an outstanding artist,” Karshna says. “He also knows just what will work – what the judges and the public would like.”

The team brings their clay models to a master mold-maker artisan who produces sturdy polyurothene models. “Most other teams bring along their clay models, which break easily when traveling. That could be a disaster. But we use this thing that’s as solid as a bowling ball. It can be dropped and thrown around.”

Art Emerges from Snow Cubes

At the snow-sculpting site, artists are provided dense blocks of manmade snow from which emerge abstract designs, intricate winged figures, cartoon or storybook monsters, whimsical fantasy creatures and towering buildings that change character and as they harden or melt. Typical tools are a saw, ladder, ax, ice scraper and bucket of water. The ideal temperature is in the 20s – below freezing but warm enough for hours of chipping, packing, carving and pounding.

To win snow-sculpting contests requires outstanding teamwork. That’s an area where Karshna and the two Ingebrigtsons enjoy a decided edge. “I grew up in Franklin with these guys,” Karshna says. “We’re lifelong friends. These are guys I go fishing with, hang out with. We’ve done some phenomenal snow sculptures and I think it has a lot to do with how well we get along.”

They’ve had their share of setbacks. “We had some hard years. We’d put in a ton of work, and we weren’t winning or progressing. We were questioning whether or not we should quit. But every December when the applications started rolling in, we’d say let’s just do it anyway.” Finally, their persistence paid off. In Torino, Italy, Aeternus may have melted away, but remains an eternal triumph for Matt Karshna and his determined teammates.