Art emerges
A brilliant 3D rendering of an Alaskan grizzly bear at the 2010 International snow sculpture contest in Breckenridge, Colorado.
SUMMIT COUNTY — In Breckenridge, snow isn’t just for skiing. Each winter, teams of artists from all over the world converge on the Colorado mountain town to shape massive blocks of snow into ephemeral works of art outside the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center.
The 2011 Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships began January 17 with a technical week, as local volunteers helped create the blocks of snow. The sculpting begins Jan. 25 with a shotgun start and continues through Jan. 29 at 10 a.m.
Often, the teams work through the chilly, wee hours of the morning on the last night of the competition to put the finishing touches on their sculptures. The award ceremony is Jan. 30 at 3:30 p.m.
Get more information at the Town of Breckenridge snow sculpture website and enjoy the photos from last year’s event in the daily photoblog.
So it begins ...
It's hard to tell during the early stages what the sculpture will be.
Some teams maintain their own websites showing the progress of their work. This picture shows a model of the "Perpetual Motion" sculpture, representing eternal flow. The team includes Stan Wagon, a St. Paul, Minn. and Silverthorne resident, as well as Rich and Beth Seeley, also of Silverthorne, Dan Schwalbe, of Hamel, Minn., and Swedish artist Eva Hild, who designed the work of art. Click on the image to visit the team's website. PHOTO BY RICH SEELEY.
First cut.
The design.
The tools.
In the crevasse.
Team Mexico at the 2010 International Snow Sculpture contest in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Detail work.
Loop-the-loop.
A chilly night.
A little off the top.
Many of the sculptures are full of drama.
