Winter fun doesn’t stop at Christmas.
There will be plenty to do in Edmonton after the holidays, including ice carving at the ICE District Plaza.
From January 18 to 20, the ICE District will host Edmonton’s International Ice Carving Competition, now called Chiseled.
Eight teams of famous ice sculptors from around the world will head to Edmonton to compete in the fiery competition.
This year’s Chiseled teams include Carvin’ Buddies, Elegant Dream, Exotic Duo, Kram & Ffilc, License to Chill, Mad & Laine, The Prairie Dogs, and Steve & Rusty.
Each team has 34 hours and 15 blocks of ice to create their sculpture.
Afterwards, the ice sculptures will be put on display at an exhibit that is open to the public.
Even better, the exhibit won’t cost anything. This will be great, especially after we maxed out our budgets over the holidays.
Exhibition guests can vote for their favourite ice sculpture for the People’s Choice Award until February 28.
In addition to the People’s Choice Award, a panel of judges will evaluate each sculpture based on the following criteria:
- First Impression: is the sculpture attractive?
- Structure: how did the sculptors use the ice?
- Skill & Technique: how technical and challenging is the design?
- Details: how refined are the details based on the carving conditions?
- Artistry: what is the design’s composition, balance, and flow?
- Creativity: how original is the piece?
- Artistic Merit: overall beauty and lasting impression.
Last year, the People’s Choice Award winners were Ross Baisas from Montreal and Calgary’s own Scott Harrison.
The team’s piece was called Pegasus Honours Griffon and featured an incredibly detailed display of a pegasus and griffon.
But Chiseled isn’t just about artists.
If you want to try ice carving, the event offers Chipper Classes for all ages, so people can learn how to create their own ice sculptures.
Last year, classes were held at Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park. Participants received hands-on instruction, safety gear, and a piece of carving ice to sculpt.
Chiseled is a great opportunity to see all the hard work that goes into creating ice sculptures. Friends and families can also enjoy ice sculpting classes together.
Chiseled is one of many winter events taking place across the province.
From Banff to Jasper and everywhere in between, there are plenty of things to do this winter.
