Snow Sculpting

If you want to see more about snow sculpting, visit my events’ blog category.

Banff Snow Days 2018 – 1st International Snow Carving Exhibition

Snow Carving at Lake Louise Ski Resort – 2016

Snow Carving at Lake Louise – 2016

The Making of Snowman Showdown – 2016

Snow Carving at Upper Hot Springs – 2016

Snow Sculpture - Bears — Snow Sculpture – Bears by Tom Hjorleifson

Revival Proposal 2014

Snow Sculpting is a beautiful snow art from the early 1900’s that saw a revival at the debut of the 2014 Alberta Winter Games, when Cyd Fraser and Mike Halpin created a comprehensive system for creating snow sculptures, from the initial forms through the site layout to the actual sculpting. Our team created a wonderful array of local animal icons, including snow bears and a snow dragon in addition to ice rams, snow cougars, ice fish and snow eagles, which were displayed at athlete venues in Banff and Canmore. Visitors enjoyed taking photos with the sculptures. Without doubt, they added to the visitor experience and contributed a sense of joy and whimsy in the community.

In 1997, musician David Chesky and illustrator Chris Bigelow created a wonderful, heart-touching picture book called The Snowbears of Lake Louise. In the story, an old couple fall into a ravine while skiing; they wake up to find themselves in a land populated by magical bears whose job is to take care of the earth and keep the air, land and water clean for all creatures. This enchanting story teaches kids the importance of preserving our environment.

The Artists

Cyd Fraser has been involved in Canmore’s ice carving event for 15 years as a coordinator and sculptor. Mark Halpin, Peigg Abbott, Joe Martin and Tom Hjorleifson — well-known artists in the community, provincially and nationally — have been involved in the event since its rejuvenation five years ago. They are integral in bringing the magic to life!

The History

Of course, ice carving has been made famous by the Ice Magic competition in Lake Louise, and the tradition has strong roots in the Canadian Rockies. It was part of the Banff Winter Festival in the early days, as the above photos from Altitude Publishing’s book Rocky Mountain Madness show, while Canmore has had an annual ice sculpting competition for over 15 years.