Page 47 - Allisons Magazine Issue #95

MICHELANGELOS

OF SNOW

written by alexa bricker
photography by elijah lee reeder

SNOW BEGINS AS TINY ICE CRYSTALS June and, in August, requests sculpture blocks that are approximately ten feet
in the atmosphere that bind together proposals from the artists. Of the 250 wide by ten feet thick by twelve feet
and eventually fall from clouds as invites, just sixteen teams are chosen high. With the help of the Breckenridge
snowflakes. It’s hard to imagine these to compete. Public Works Department and
microscopic droplets of frozen water volunteers (who are responsible for,
could be transformed into anything It’s not just the chance to create that quite literally, stomping the snow into
more than snowmen, but the visionaries brings these artists together, though— place), every team is left with the
at the International Snow Sculpture it’s forging a bond through their love of perfect canvas to shape its creation.
Championships see snow differently. this little-known medium, learning from Innovators in the field come armed
peers with completely different points of with their own set of tricks and tools—
For more than twenty years, view, and, most important, pushing the scraping, cutting, and carving away
Breckenridge, Colorado, has played limits of what’s possible. at these blocks until they become the
host to the competition, which brings masterpieces that their minds have
teams from all over the world together FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS conjured up.
for five days in January to shape, carve, The town of Breckenridge is known for
and sculpt enormous blocks of snow. its snow—it’s one of the most popular None of this would have been possible,
In 2018, teams from as far away as skiing destinations in the entire world, though, if it weren’t for the vision of the
Mongolia and Argentina ventured to after all. But even for this snow-covered staff at a local real estate group who, in
this mountain town for the opportunity. town, maneuvering four hundred tons 1979, came together as Breckenridge’s
of the stuff in a short period of time is first snow-sculpting team. The team,
According to Austyn Dineen, the a challenge. made up of Rob Neyland, Ron Shelton,
director for the Breckenridge Tourism Randy Amys, and Bill Hazel, worked
Office, the Snow Sculpture Organization It takes a few days to mold fifty with the city to bring in talent from
Committee sends out 250 invitations in thousand pounds of snow into uniform around the world in what would

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