India, Feb. 10 -- Every winter, when Kashmir was draped in a white blanket, a young Zahoor Din Lone would disappear into the snow.

While others prefer to stay indoors, the boy-later known as Zahoor Kashmiri-stood for hours shaping snow into figures born purely of imagination. His hands would turn numb, his clothes soaked. Instead of applause, he was met with scorn, scold, and warnings.

No one knew then that those quiet childhood afternoons would one day place him on a global podium.

Nearly three decades later, under the piercing cold of minus 31 degrees Celsius in Breckenridge, Colorado, Zahoor stood once again before a massive wall of snow. Over four relentless days, he led Team India at the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture ...