For 24 years, Breckenridge, Colorado has been the home of the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships. Held January 21-February 4, this event draws snow sculpting teams from around the world as well as many visitors who simply want to view their impressive work. This year featured 16 four-person teams from Catalunya (Spain), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Mongolia (2 teams), Russia and USA.
The snow artists begun sculpting from giant blocks of snow on January 21 and continued to perfect their work using only hand-held tools through January 25. After the awards ceremony was held on January 25, the sculptures remained standing for public viewing through February 2.
Next year, if you want to attend, you can find out the dates of the event at www.gobreck.com.
Want to see more snow and ice carvings? Check out my previous blog about Ice Carving Sculptures.
Award Winning Snow Sculptures
The home team from Breckenridge, Colorado won first place in the competition with their sledding recreation.
A view of the first prize winner by Team USA from the front.
Side view of the first place winning sculpture
Second place went to Team Germany’s impressively balanced and stacked snow sculpture.
Germany’s second place piece
Another United States team placed third with this elaborately carved display.
The third place winner by Team USA
More Incredible Snow Sculptures
Great Britain’s detailed sculpture contribution
The team from Mongolia created this detailed warrior that was certainly eye catching.
The Lithuanian team created an angular masterpiece.
Estonia’s entry featured some bold graphic carving.
A third American team carved this imaginative piece for the event.
Ice Sculptures After Dark
If you thought the ice sculptures were stunning in the sunlight, wait until you see their beauty illuminated with multi-colored lights at night. The following photos are absolutely breathtaking!
People gather to view the ice sculptures at night
Here’s another look at the first place winner at night.
The blues and purples make the ice sculpture even more beautiful at night.
People stop to snap photos of the incredible ice carvings in the evening.
Two of the gorgeous entries are illuminated brilliantly in the dark.
The Snow Sculptors at Work
These snow sculptures took several days to create. Here’s a look at some of the sculptors hard at work on their creations. These photos also give you a much better idea of the large scale of these snow creations!
A member of the first place team puts some finishing touches on their sledding duo.
Team Finland doubles up to work on their carving.
Team Lithuania chisels their snow block.
Video of Snow Sculptures from the Breckenridge competition in 2008.
We’re amazed at the hard work, dedication and talent that went into creating these beautiful carvings at the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships and hope you enjoyed them too!
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