Page 14 - Travel Guide Fly Alaska Winter Edition

love, labor and the Art of snow

In Alaska, winter doesn’t and fine art. family history.
just show up—it performs, Among the many teams That devotion runs deep.
dazzles, and takes unusual competing, one story is When their daughter left the
shape as towering blocks of noteworthy. For 17 years, Jesse state for college, the family
snow waiting patiently to be and Danniell Mellor—husband offered her a choice: come
transformed. Nowhere is that and wife—have competed home for Christmas, or come
more impressive than the against each other, good- home for Fur Rondy and the
Alaska State Snow Carving natured rivals pushing one snow carving competition.
Competition at the Fur Rondy another to carve bigger and She didn’t hesitate. Fur Rondy
festival. bolder. Last year marked a won—no pause, no debate, just
Each sculpture begins the turning point: for the first time, tradition calling her back home
same way: snow from around they joined forces on the same like a snowy siren song
the city is blown into a pre- team. The result wasn’t just a The stakes are high for
made form and frozen. The sculpture; it was a piece of art
quality of the snow varies that defined their home, titled
greatly, with some years “Love Nest”. They started
featuring surprises chilled into carving when their kids were
the mix, such as hats and water just three or four years old.
bottles. A crane deposits the Jesse admits he originally
formed blocks, and then three- entered to impress their
person teams start chiseling, children. It worked—perhaps
scraping, and coaxing a design a little too well. In the Mellor
from solid snow, like modern- household, the snow carving
day Michelangelos. There are competition is bigger than
no power tools here—only Christmas. Their home is filled
human hands and ingenuity. It’s with photographs of past snow
equal parts endurance sport sculptures, a frozen timeline of

12 ® WINTER EDITION