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On Friday, January 29, 2010, Carl and I drove up to Breckenridge to watch the teams work on the snow sculptures for the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships. We returned on Tuesday, February 2 to see the finished sculptures. Photos of the sculptures in progress and as they appeared once finished will follow. This page goes over some of the general information about this annual event.
The event is limited to twelve teams invited from around the world who spend four or five days working on the block of packed snow to create wonderful works of art. All sculpting must be finished by 10 am on Saturday (January 30 this year). The teams frequently work all night that final night to complete the objects in time.
The photo to the right shows an uncarved block of packed snow to demonstrate what each team of sculpturers start with. The snow is packed into a form and is quite solid and dense. The block measures 10 feet by 10 feet by 12 feet tall. This is the only snow that can be used in the sculpture. If the sculpture winds up taller than 12 feet (as some did), then the snow is removed from some portion of the block and built up on top.
Snow and ice are the only elements allowed in the finished sculpture. No internal bracing. No paint. Nothing added. And only hand tools are allowed in producing the entries for the contest.
By the time we returned to this block of snow on our second visit, it was covered with graffiti!
The three photos above are general overviews of the sculpture area with the finished sculptures. They were arrayed in two rows (six entries per row). On the days they were sculpting, we could only really see one side of each of these sculptures, as most of the area was blocked off for the workers. When we returned, they aisles had been cleared and the sculptures could be viewed from all sides.
Three prizes were awarded by the judges (no money, just ribbons and glory). And ribbons were also awarded for the People's Choice, Children's Choice, and Artists' Choice.
On the periphery of the competition were snow sculptures commissioned by the sponsors. These didn't have to follow the rules of the contest and most were created using chain saws in addition to hand tools. Some of these sponsor creations follow.
The photo on the left above was sponsored by Budweiser and is a salute to the Olympics. The other two photos show the snow sculpture (and a detail of it) commissiond by Harvest Catering and features an overflowing cornucopia.
The photos to the left and right are two sides of another sponsored snow sculpture, but I've forgotten who the sponsor was. It depicts a mine shaft, a common sight in the hills surrounding Breckenridge. The photo on the left shows a mine cart coming out of the mine. The photo on the right shows a hapless miner upside down near the mine shaft! And the sculptors of this mine added a treat for the little kids. They could climb stairs up one side of this and slide down a snow slide. A group of preschoolers were trying this out as we walked by.