Every January, the ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado hosts the International Snow Sculpture Championships. For over twenty years, teams of snow artists from around the world come and ply their creative craft with the natural materials of the Rocky Mountains.
Each team begins with a twelve-foot block of snow along Breck’s Riverwalk. At the beginning of the week, movers bring in the snow blocks that weigh around twenty tons. Artists have four days to carve and shape, using only hand tools and their imagination, to create their masterpieces. The resulting creations are on view over a long weekend. Visitors can choose their favorite sculpture for a People’s Choice award, through online voting.
As I have most years, I came to admire their works of art, wandering between them in awe. It was Thursday afternoon, the last day of carving, so they were almost ready for the viewers that would arrive starting Friday morning. The artists, in their warm winter gear on this frigid day, could be seen climbing up scaffolds or sometimes laying on the ground making their finishing touches.
Sculptures sparkling in the sunlight, white and shadow, textured and sleek. Images of animals, sprites, humans, and flora, or non-representational modern art, or some combination of both. Signs in front of each announced the title, the origin of the team, a photo of a model or drawing, and often a brief description.
Great Britain
I voted for the home-town boys from Breckenridge, a wonderful piece of work, although it was a close decision with Forest Jam. Which would you choose for your People’s Choice award?
Breckenridge is not one of my favorite mountain towns. Although it reveres its mining and old West history and there is a designated historic residential district, the downtown strip is peppered with modern malls of shops, shops, shops among the lovely little Victorian houses, turned shops, that remain along Main Street.
Please do not download or reproduce images from this site. ©
Your comments are welcome!
Popular posts/stats/categories
Email me at: Ruth@RuthRosenfeld.com
Ruth Rosenfeld 
Amazing artistic sculptures, Ruth. Enjoyed them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed this post, Jane! It’s a wonderful event and so nice that it attracts artists from around the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ullr and Forest Jam were my favorites too but judges felt differently I guess. Always a fun winter outing💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Bonnie! I’m not as fond of abstract art, although I can see that some of the winners were probably quite remarkable structurally. I liked Emergence also.
LikeLike
I’d love that! Thank’s for sharing…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a fun event, and quite a celebration of winter in the mountains!
LikeLike
I vote for Allied. I like its sleek simplicity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a beauty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always nice when the mountain ski towns embrace winter. The snow and ice carvers do a great job with an abundant material. Hope all is well with you Ruth. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a fun event, and has been going on for a couple of decades. We won’t run out of snow anytime soon! Thanks, Allan
LikeLike
The hometown entry is a great sculpture. I also like Harmony.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Harmony is a lovely construction.
LikeLike
Wow, they are all pretty amazing. Ullr and Forest Jam and emergence were my favorites.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are my favorites too! I’m not as fond of abstract art, but some of those are excellent technical constructions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s kind of sad that these will melt away. Thank goodness for photography.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s part of the beauty of them… they are ephemeral.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wauw ! This is realy amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a wonderful event, with some fantastic artwork, lasting only until warmer weather.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Inhabitants of the Sea” caught my eye, including the depiction of water at the base, but “Forest Jam” strikes me as more of what viewers are looking for with something like snow sculpting. I wonder how the creations compare to Cripple Creek’s ice sculpting. I’m not surprised to read that Breckinridge isn’t your cup of tea, Ruth. Its historical roots are hit or miss amongst the shops and restaurants.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t been to the one in Cripple Creek. Might have to check that out some year. The sea one is quite imaginative and well crafted.
LikeLike
Your photo of Emergence with the sun was spectacular. I liked the details in ULLR. But Forest Jam would get my vote
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Carol! Emergence is a beauty and somehow she seemed to be striving upward towards the sun when I looked at that angle.
LikeLike
The Breckenridge one is great and the Forest Jam. I haven’t been to the ice sculptures in Lake Louise for years, but this is a good reminder that I should go. Maggie
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t know about Lake Louise ice sculptures and just looked it up. Some beautiful work! Are they on the lake?
LikeLike
Usually yes along the lake, beautiful setting. It’s a great show but with Covid and then this year I just found out was canceled or decreased in size so I’m not sure if it will happen again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That looks like so much fun, Ruth, if a tad cold…🥶 The ice sculptures were fantastic – loved the God of Snow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My favorite as well. And yes, cold it was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We went a couple years ago to this and really enjoyed it! It seems the sculptures are not as intricate this year as they were in 2021. But impressive nonetheless. I really like the Breckenridge one, but also the one called Harmony.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They certainly vary. I wonder how many of these teams return from year to year. Harmony was a favorite of several people in these comments! It’s beautifully done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very creative people at work here! I agree with your two choices but I think I’d choose Forest Jam over Ullr – but maybe I’d decide differently if I were to see them in their three dimensions?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did like them both. I think the artistry in the face of Ullr won me over; the Forest Jam was a bit more cartoony, whimsical.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m always in awe of these snow/ice festivals: it’s not easy making such large sculptures, let alone bearing with the extreme cold to carve them out…but the results are absolutely rewarding, that’s for sure! I’d definitely admire such works of art if I ever come to Breckenridge!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’d have to be a hardy soul to get out there carving for hours! I appreciate the artistry and determination.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that there were two fellow Wisconsinites among the sculptors. I think I’d go with Forest Jam.
I have so many questions about this: are the artists paid or do they have to pay to enter? Are the sculptures guarded at night while the sculptors sleep? Is this their job? Do they travel all over the world doing this? (I’m not asking you to answer these, Ruth. Just thinking out loud, so to speak.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good questions! I did some research – There is a committee that sends out invitations to artists. Artists must submit their plan in teams of 3 or 4, and only a small percentage are accepted. I didn’t see anything about an application fee, but they are responsible for their own lodging and meals all week, not cheap in Breck. Main sponsor is Toyota. The artists vote on the award, in addition to the People’s Award. I believe they can sculpt all night.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. That’s really interesting. Thanks for looking that up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And thank you for sending Mark the link to my site!! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a fun way to embrace the winter and all that snow. These snow sculptures are pretty amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are wonderful and it’s quite a skill as well as an art form. We’re happy to have them here!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whenever I see anything like this, I marvel at the imagination behind the creations as much as the skill involved in construction. So many sculptures here which demonstrate lively, innovative minds. “Harmony” would have got my vote, I think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Several others have commented that Harmony would be their choice! I agree, both the imaginative ideas and the complex constructions are amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Travel Architect sent me here after reading my post about the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship in Lake Geneva, WI this past weekend. So many talented snow sculptors! I saw some great designs too, but I don’t know if anything tops Burden of Socialization!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for your visit, Mark! I thought the Burden was quite fascinating too, and structurally difficult to create, I’m sure.
LikeLike
Wow! The intricacies on some of those sculptures’ faces is incredible. I particularly like See you Later, Alligator though 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are amazing, aren’t they? That’s a fun one!
LikeLike
I think I’d have loved to have seen this. I’m not a fan of modern minimalist sculptures, in snow or otherwise, so hands down Forest Jam and Ullr God of Snow are the winners for me.
Alison
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you! Those are my favorites as well. Thanks for reading, Alison.
LikeLiked by 1 person