I spent the Saturday morning of February 6, 2010 along The Mall in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. Teams were at work form 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. forming illusions using snow. Blocks of snow 4 feet wide, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet tall was to be the base material for a few hours of transformation.
The 2010 City of Lakes Loppet was holding a Snow Sculpture Contest. This sculpturing event was only a tiny part of the Loppet which has mostly to do with Cross Country Skiing.
The City of Lakes Loppet is a festival of cross country skiing for the whole family.
There were short bike races on ice, and a leisurely night-time ski, lit with luminary along the route, as well as completive events of cross country skiing. Tents, food, music and refreshments were a big part of the gatherings. In conjuction with City of Lakes Loppet, Bike Walk Ambassadors and The Metro Transit offered a free bus / rail pass to attend the event. The same free pass is on for this year’s event on February 5th & 6th. I attended the snow carving, but only as a photographer. I had a fantastic time moving from team to team, capturing images. The activity kept me warm and depleted my set of digital camera batteries. I took a lot of photos.
Rules for the February 5, 2011 Snow Sculpture Contest.
One team took a horizontal approach, as many of the team members were kid height.
Another team built their block to be higher.
But all teams began with planing, chopping, and sawing.
Shapes became more defined with the passing time.
Refinements were made all along the way.
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