# Making an alpine keepsake with the Glacier Map preset

> filled glacier tongues and bare rock in icy blue-greys

High mountains read beautifully as maps: smooth glacier tongues against bare rock ridges. This preset fills glaciers in pale ice-blue and rock in stone grey over a slate backplate - a clean, graphic alpine portrait. It ships set up on Mont Blanc; search any glaciated peak or icefield - the Rockies, the Alps, the Andes, Alaska - and the ice and rock follow.

## What you need

### Print (recommended)

- The exported 4096 px PNG and a frame, or a UV flatbed onto white [acrylic](https://yxecreations.com/pages/acrylic-sheets) for a glacial-blue finish

### Laser

- 3 mm [Baltic birch](https://yxecreations.com/collections/laser-grade-plywood) plus frosted/pale-blue acrylic for the ice; laser engraver or cutter

## Step 1 - Center the peak



Open [the Glacier Map preset](/map-designer?preset=glacier-map). It loads on Mont Blanc at zoom 12.5. Search your peak and center the summit; zoom so the glaciers and surrounding rock fill the frame - the ice forms are the hero, so give them room.

## Step 2 - Tune the layers



**Ice & rock** - glaciers as a pale ice-blue (`#EAF4F7`) fill, bare rock as stone grey (`#8A8377`), and any tarns as blue water. Push the ice toward white for higher contrast against the slate, or the rock darker for a starker ridge line.

**Backplate** - slate (`#2B3A42`) behind everything; it reads as the frame surround in prints and the physical base layer in a build. Shift toward black for a high-altitude, dramatic feel.

## Step 3 - Export



- **Print:** high-res PNG (4096 px), Background on.
- **Laser engrave:** combined SVG; ice and rock map to two tonal passes.
- **Two-layer build:** export the Ice & rock SVG and cut the ice from frosted acrylic to inlay over the backplate base.
- **Small-polygon cleanup** on so thin glacier slivers don't become fragile pieces.

## UV & Sublimation Printing

### Framed alpine print



1. Export the PNG and print at 250–300 mm on matte paper.
2. Caption with the peak name, elevation, and summit date for a climber's keepsake.
3. UV variant: print on white acrylic for a crisp, glacial-blue finish.

## Laser Cutting & Engraving

### Engrave or inlay the ice



1. Engrave the ice and rock shapes onto slate-stained birch in two tonal passes for a flat portrait.
2. Or cut the backplate from slate-stained ply and inlay the glaciers, cut from frosted acrylic, on top for a literal icy sheen - [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape) makes a clean bond.
3. Finish with matte spray; engrave the peak name and summit elevation on the base.

## Make it yours

- Summit gift: the peak someone climbed, with the date and elevation engraved on the base.
- Icefield portrait: zoom out for a whole glacier system rather than a single summit.
- Seven-summits series: matching pieces, one per peak.
- Frosted inlay: cut the glaciers from frosted acrylic set into dark wood for a cold, premium look.

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Open the tool: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/glacier-map
Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/glacier-map