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This beautiful piece of art was created by Finnish snowshoers

A giant snow drawing created by 11 snowshoe-clad volunteers in Espoo, outside Helsinki, Finland.
A giant snow drawing created by 11 snowshoe-clad volunteers in Espoo, outside Helsinki, Finland. Copyright  Janne Pyykko/AP
Copyright Janne Pyykko/AP
By Jill Pole with AFP, AP
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A snow-covered golf course outside Helsinki was turned into a giant artwork last weekend

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A group of amateur snowshoers in Finland have made the most of recent snowfall by creating a giant work of art on a golf course.

160m across, the design is a mandala, a geometric configuration of symbols held as sacred in Buddhist and Hindu traditions. It was designed by Janne Pyykkö, an IT consultant, with the help of friends.

It took 11 snoeshow-clad volunteers two days to create the design in Espoo, Finland's second largest city.

Snowshoeing is usually a type of hiking done in deep snow. It is thought to originate in Central Asia with fur traders, trappers and others dependent on getting around in deep snow. Snowshoes are worn to spread a person's weight across a larger area than regular hiking boots would.

Sam Kingsley/AFP
Snow artwork designed by IT consultant and amateur artist Janne Pyykkö Sam Kingsley/AFP
Sam Kingsley/AFP
A detailed image of the giant snow design Sam Kingsley/AFP

Pyykkö explained she created the design digitally, aiming to "create something beautiful".

She admits it was a bit of a challenge to explain the working process to the shoe-walking enthusiasts, but ultimately everyone had a lot of fun.

"We spent three hours laughing and walking", says volunteer Elena Ceccarelli. She helped to create the snow drawing in -10 degrees Celsius.

Pekka Lintusaari/AP
Circular design traditional to mandalas Pekka Lintusaari/AP
Pekka Lintusaari/AP
A detailed image of a giant drawing created by volunteers in Espoo, outside Helsinki, Finland Pekka Lintusaari/AP

"It was very difficult to understand what the art was going to look like", says Petri Teralainen, another volunteer.

Pekka Lintusaari/AP
A image of steps Janne Pyykkö and volunteers took to create a giant snow drawing in Espoo, outside Helsinki, Finland Pekka Lintusaari/AP

A drone camera provided the group with images of their work from the sky. This inspired them to keep going.

Pekka Lintusaari/AP
Aerial view of the giant snow drawing in Finland Pekka Lintusaari/AP
Sam Kingsley/AFP
An aerial view of the completed design Sam Kingsley/AFP

If this project has inspired you to create some art, don't forget to share the photographs of your creation with us on Instagram using #euronewstravel.

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