HOW KIM ASMUSSEN BRINGS WINTER TO LIFE By Kalli Hawkins
After completing his first couple of snowshoe art designs, Kim Asmussen deployed a drone to capture an aerial photograph of the finished artwork. This piece is titled “Gichi-Gami’s Gateway.” | SUBMITTED
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s winter tightens its icy grip on the northern landscape, many Minnesotans and Canadians are busy digging out knitting needles, XC skis, woodworking tools, ice fishing gear, or finalizing their winter reading list. In the frigid northern regions of Minnesota and Canada, winter tends to feel less like a temporary season and more like a way of life. To survive the lengthy gray months, one must find a hobby (or two) to keep your mind and hands busy. Ontario resident Kim Asmussen prepares for the long winter months by booting up his AutoCAD software and ensuring his chainsaw and snowshoes are in tip-top shape. Asmussen lives in Schreiber, a small town of approximately 1,100 people along the Canadian ‘North Shore’ of Lake Superior. Over the last few years, Asmussen’s winter hobbies of ice sculpting and snowshoe art have drawn regional and international attention to the small Canadian town, earning him the title of ‘Snowshoe Art Guy’ or ‘The Ice Man of Schreiber.’ Asmussen, a retired principal, has dabbled in woodworking and ice sculpting for many years. However, it wasn’t until the onset of the covid-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020 that he strapped on snowshoes and ventured out to the ballfield near his home to create beautiful and elaborate designs in the snow. His inspiration to expand his winter hobbies stemmed from Simon Beck, an internationally recognized snowshoe artist from England known for creating math-based snowshoe art. “I looked at it and said, you know what, I think I could do that,” Asmussen said. “So, I took a crack at it and started liking it.” He found geometric designs and patterns online and used AutoCAD, a 2D and 3D computer-aided design software, to mathematically map out the real-life dimensions of the design. Then, with his trusty 18
DECEMBER 2023
NORTHERN WILDS
Kim Asmussen of Schreiber with his creation, Sitting Santa, a life-sized replica of Old Saint Nick. | SUBMITTED metal snowshoes, 300-foot tape measure, a handful of 3-foot dowels to mark his points, and a good old-fashioned compass, he took to the ballfield. While he initially embarked on crafting snowshoe art as a way to stay mentally and physically active during the pandemic, as word spread through Schreiber, it quickly evolved into much more than that. After completing his first couple of snowshoe art designs, Asmussen deployed a drone to capture an aerial photograph of the finished artwork. It wasn’t long
before he started sharing these images on his personal Facebook page and various Facebook groups, such as North Shore Vibe. As time passed, he gathered a growing audience of snowshoe art admirers and began developing a unique avenue for connecting with others. “It’s rewarding just knowing people are enjoying seeing it,” Asmussen said. “That’s basically my motivation to it now more than anything.”
