Volunteers can get up close and personal during the International Snow Sculpture Championships
Snow-stomping volunteers at work. Photo by Jenney Coberly.
By Summit Voice
BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO — This will be the 23rd year for the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, where artists will carve mammoth 22-ton monoliths of snow into breathtaking sculptures. The championships attract artists from diverse countries such as Russia, China, Japan, Morocco, Belize, Finland, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Mexico, Great Britain, Spain, Bulgaria and Canada.
The snow sculpture staff is looking for volunteers to help with snow stomping, office tasks, technical aid, merchandise sales, program distributors, and much more. Positions are available both indoors and outdoors. This is a great way to spend some quality time seeing how the giant blocks of snow are created, watching the sculptors in action, chatting with the crowd, or helping feed the artists.
Technical week is January 15-18, where volunteers help create the enormous snow blocks. This task requires climbing a scaffold and going down into the forms to “stomp” or compact the snow. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, and be prepared for vigorous outdoor activity. This activity is a locals’ favorite, and it’s great fun to watch the giant snow machines pushing and blowing the huge mounds of snow.
The opening ceremony kicks off the sculpting on Tuesday morning, January 22nd, and sculpting ends Saturday morning, January 26th, when the judges choose the winners. People’s choice voting is Saturday and Sunday, January 26-27, with the awards ceremony Sunday afternoon in the Riverwalk Center. The sculptures will remain on display until February 3rd.
If you missed last year’s event, check out this photoblog on the Summit Voice for a slide show. You can also go to the Summit Voice YouTube page for some videos of the sculptors in action in previous years.
To volunteer, sign up online by visiting the sign-up website (click the “login” button at the top right to register if you don’t already have an account with the signup tool), call Heather Bridges at 970-453-3187 ext 3, or email her at heatherb@townofbreckenridge.com
Here’s a brief description of the volunteer opportunities:
Snow stomping in the Riverwalk Center parking lot — Stomp blocks of snow! This is physical work in the cold, and volunteers need to be at least 18 years old and wear boots and warm clothes that can get dirty.
Lounge Info Staff/Merch Sales in the Riverwalk Center — Chat with visitors, answer questions about the event and town, sell merchandise, and assist with clerical items like name tags and welcome packets.
Technical Support — Aid in setup, teardown and event site operations.
Parties — Assist with setup, breakdown and ticket taking during the parties.
Meals — Assist with meal service for the teams, help catering staff with refilling, setup and possibly teardown.
People’s Choice Awards — Wander among the finished sculptures, chat with the large and friendly crowd, and drum up votes by collecting $1 donations from the public. The crowd and children in particular enjoy voting for their favorites.
For further information and a detailed schedule of events, check out either the Town of Breckenridge or GoBreck websites.
2012 snow sculpture slide show via Jenney Coberly’s Flickr stream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennebreck/sets/72157629406230583/show/
