On Feb. 6, the final day of the in Sapporo, the storm arrived in full force.

Within an hour, nearly 10 centimeters of fresh snow covered Odori Park. Our team of three people representing Austria ¡ª Michelle Steinmetz, Daniel Nachbaur and I, all artists from the western towns of Feldkirch and Koblach ¡ª had to pivot quickly. The fine details we had carved, from strands of fur to the curve of a fox¡¯s ear, were slowly disappearing beneath a relentless white veil.

Rather than refining the sculpture we had been laboring over for four days, we turned our attention to preservation. Brushes replaced chisels. Every few minutes, we cleared the surface again, knowing the snowfall would still ultimately prevail.

Even a 3-meter cube of compacted snow cannot resist time. What stands proudly today will melt tomorrow. Yet for one week each February, 50 years running, Sapporo turns this fragile material into a place of international encounter.

Our team was selected to represent Austria in this year¡¯s contest by the Austrian Embassy and the Austrian Cultural Forum Tokyo. For months, my colleagues and I had prepared in meetings, both in person and online, refining sketches and adjusting our tools for compacted snow before arriving in Sapporo.

But when we stood before our numbered snow block in Odori Park, we fell silent. In front of us was a perfect white cube.

Each morning, before lifting a tool, we defined a clear objective for the day. At minus 6 degrees Celsius, every movement required concentration. Once a piece of snow is removed, it cannot be put back. Progress requires patience.

Our sculpture depicted a mother fox sheltering her cub. In a northern city known for its harsh winters, we wanted to carve an image of warmth and protection that conveyed a sense of belonging. To us, it was also a symbol of home. A recurring figure in Austrian folklore and a familiar presence in the rural landscape near Koblach, the fox has long symbolized intelligence and quiet resilience.

Around us, nine other international teams worked with similar concentration. The sound in the park was steady: saws cutting, tools tapping, brief exchanges in English, Thai and Korean, among other languages. Although it was a competition, cooperation was in the air. When a blade became dull or a specific instrument was needed, someone stepped forward to help out. Tools were shared. Advice passed from hand to hand.

In that cold, winning was no longer paramount.

Beyond the contest site, Sapporo seemed to be a city accustomed to winter. Snow walls narrowed the streets into corridors of white. Steady streams of commuters flowed through underground passageways. Aboard the trains,...