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International snow sculpting competition comes to Breck |
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Friday, January 20, 2012 08:32 |
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Photo by the Summit Daily
By KIMBERLY NICOLETTI, SUMMIT DAILY NEWS
Remember when you were a kid, and traipsing through the snow and shaping it into snowmen or igloos or sofas made you feel like a fantastical wizard?
Even if you missed that kind of experience, it's not too late to soak up some of the magic at the 22nd annual International Snow Sculpture Championships. Already, volunteers have spent days stomping down 3- to 4-foot layers of snow, until they created 23 packed snow blocks measuring 10x10x12 feet and weighing 20 tons.
Take a look at last year's creations (And come back to OutThereColorado.com next Friday (Jan. 27) to see photos from this year's competition.)
Tuesday, 15 of the best international snow sculpting teams will begin transforming the blocks into amazing fine art pieces in an event cofounder Rob Neyland terms both sport and passion. Sculpting week runs Jan. 24-28, and sculptures remain on display through Feb. 5, weather permitting.
“A lot of these teams bring their charismatic color to the event,” Neyland said. “It's important, because at the end of the day, snow sculpting is a performing art; it is a living art form that is performed on the public stage. It is a cross between art and theater. The energy they bring in manifesting their own country's spirit is a big part of the process.”
And it's a process the public has the privilege to take in throughout the week, as people wander among the blocks, watching sculptors use only hand tools — some of which they've literally invented — to uncover the beauty frozen within the blocks.
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