Snow Elevated to Art at Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championship

Snow Elevated to Art at Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championship

21st annual event set for Jan. 25 – Feb. 6; light enhancements and lounge new for 2011

BRECKENRIDGE, CO - Jan 12, 2011 – Experience the creation and exhibition of snow art when the International Snow Sculpture Championships returns to Breckenridge, Colo. Jan. 25 – Feb. 6, 2011. For the 21st annual event, fifteen teams from around the globe have been invited to compete from eight countries including Australia, Austria, Canada (three teams), Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States. U.S. teams invited include Alaska, Colorado (Breckenridge and Loveland), Vermont and Wisconsin (Franklin and Milwaukee).

At the event, four-person teams are assigned 12-foot-tall, 20-ton blocks of machine-made Colorado snow. Artists achieve finished pieces after a total of 65 intense hours of work without the use of power tools, internal support structures or colorants – just the ingenuity of the sculptors and a medium that lends itself, if only temporarily, to the persuasion of hand tools.

“The Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships offers the opportunity to witness living sculptures, fleeting works of art that don’t stick around. That’s the joy of it,” said Rob Neyland, one of the event’s founders. “It’s the transitory nature of the art form that makes this event so special.”

New for 2011 is an eco-friendly, LED lighting system that will add to the artistry with subtle colors during viewing week, Jan. 30 through Feb. 6, weather permitting. Also new is The Snow Lounge, where viewers can relax indoors, warm up with food and cocktails and explore an exhibit featuring history, trivia and fun facts.

Sculpting begins with a shotgun start and finishes with teams working through the night to hand-carve anything from enormous pieces of whimsy to powerful social commentary. Judging commences with awards presented to first, second and third places, along with designations of People’s Choice, Kids’ Choice and Artists’ Choice.

Snow carving in Breckenridge began as a local pastime during the town's winter carnival – Ullr Fest – in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The founders of Breckenridge’s International Snow Sculpture Championships are still members of Team Breckenridge and today, the event is attended annually by more than 30,000 people.

International Snow Sculpture Championships Stay and Ski Lodging Packages Four people can stay four nights in a 2-bedroom and get four days of lift tickets included for as low as $110 per person, per night. Available through Feb. 10, 2011. Call the Breckenridge Resort Chamber at 877-864-0868 or visit GoBreck.com for more information on the 2011 Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships and January lodging packages in Breckenridge.