Stillwater's first snow-sculpting contest draws frosty artists worldwide

Bob Shaw, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Jan. 24—A team of Canadians has chipped and hacked their way into record books — as the winners of Stillwater's first international snow-sculpting contest.

"It was incredible," said Chamber of Commerce director Robin Anthony on Monday. Anthony said the World Snow Sculpting Championship attracted 40,000 people this the weekend.

The winning team created a sculpture of a family riding on a hobby horse, one of many 10-foot-tall creations that turned Lowell Park into a Nordic sculpture garden.

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The winner, Team JetSet from Canada, consists of Jessie Armand, Carlos Migue Ramirz Pereyra and Christopher Power. Second place went to Team Pichincha of Ecuador, and the Space Cowboys of Minnesota won third place.

In the inaugural event, three-member teams from around the world competed, including teams from Turkey and Germany. The teams had three days to complete their entries, which will remain available for viewing this week — as long as they don't melt.

The chamber's Anthony was delighted with the turnout.

"All the restaurants and bars were full," she said.

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The chamber signed a contract to host the event for three years. Anthony is looking forward to next year, when international travel restrictions should be lifted. Then, she said, there should be teams from 12 countries competing.

She said the sculptures will increase interest in another event — the city's Fire & Ice Winter Social, this Friday and Saturday.

Anthony predicted that this year's attendance would be far more than last year's, when winter events were hampered by COVID restrictions. She said that at the 2021 Fire & Ice, only 250 people could be allowed in Lowell Park at one time.

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IF YOU GO

For information about hours and events in Stillwater's Fire & Ice Winter Social, visit events.discoverstillwater.com.