International Snow Sculpture Championships

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International Snow Sculpture Championships

  • February 3, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by JGierlach from Boulder, Colorado
International Snow Sculpture Championships

Here's how it works: the ski resort makes the snow and volunteers from the town stomp it into large wooden boxes (10ft x 10ft x 12 ft tall). Then, teams from all over the world create the sculptures all week long.

I didn't realize how profound this relatively simple idea was until I went back to work. My vacation mode faded back to reality and I found myself daydreaming about the sculptures.

The process of casually watching these guys make artwork out of snow made me really think about the stuff I was skiing on -- the very texture of it. How different it is at high altitude, and on powder days, it was the stuff I was skiing in, and moving through. Heck, the stuff even fell out of the sky!

Kids of all ages are fascinated throughout the process as these creations evolve from the huge blocks of snow. Perhaps vacations allow us the childhood freedom to dream of growing up and becoming professional snow sculptors as I did when I saw magicians as a child. Or maybe . . . an Olympic skier.

What an unexpected surprise for anyone in Breckenridge for the week.

From journal The 14th Annual Int'l Snow Sculpture Championships

Editor Pick

International Snow Sculpture Championships

International Snow Sculpture Championships

In January, after teams from all over the world have create mammoth works of art from 20-ton blocks of snow, visitors can stroll past and examine their creations.

This "sport" of carving snow sculptures started at the 1988 Calgary Winter Games, Breckenridge, with its abundance of snow, sponsored the first American International Snow Sculpture Chamnpionsihp in 1991. Since then it continues to grow, with more international teams competing each year.

We were amazed at the size and intricacy of the giant snow sculptures--some 12-feet high with many details. Some are serious, but most are whimiscal figures. Well-known artists serve as judges for the event, which has attracted people from Morocco, Belize, Japan, Canda, Scandinavia, Russia, China and Wales.

From journal YEAR ROUND MOUNTAIN FUN

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