Snow sculpture is a sculpture form comparable to ice sculpture in that most of it is now practiced outdoors, and often in full view of spectators, thus giving it kinship to performance art in the eyes of some. The materials and the tools differ widely. Snow sculptures are usually carved out of a single cube of snow about 15 feet on the side and weighing about 30 tons. The snow is densely packed after having been produced by artificial means.

Since 1973 there has been an international snow sculpture contest during the Quebec City Winter Carnival and more recently the Winterlude celebrations have had snow sculpture events. Perm in Russia and Breckenridge, Colorado have also hosted snow sculpting events.