Did you know the US Snow Sculpting Championships take place right here in Lake Geneva? And the carving starts taking place this week!
The snow sculpting competition is only part of the draw. It takes place during Winterfest, a full two weeks featuring all the wonderful things Lake Geneva and the surrounding area have to offer for winter entertainment. There’s a packed schedule of events with something for everyone to love.
Fifteen teams from as near as Milwaukee and as far as Alaska will each start with a nine-foot tall and eight-foot wide cylinder of packed, pulverized snow.
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Teams get about three days to complete their designs - sculpting starts Wednesday and ends Saturday at 11 am. Friday night, the sculptors will work around the clock to finish.
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The winner is chosen in a vote among all the competitors and they aren’t allowed to vote for themselves. Last year’s winner was from Milwaukee.
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So what does it take to sculpt a masterpiece in 100 hours or so? Teams can only have three people on them and they use various cutting and shaping tools to get their final product.
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The designs are all drawn by each individual team and vary widely.
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It’s worth it to check out the competition at least twice - once while the sculptors are still working and again to see the final products.
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Aside from their own self-selected champion, a people’s choice champion is also crowned.
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The cylinders of snow will be constructed on January 30th and 31st this year and those themselves are impressive. People jump on top of the cylinder while the mold holds the snow to help pack it in.
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The best part of the competition is seeing the wide variety of sculptures. Some are whimsical and others include cut outs - all are incredibly detailed.
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In addition to the snow sculpting competition, there are events in and around Lake Geneva to celebrate their Winterfest.
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Businesses all around town take part and host entertainment, food specials and even a hot cocoa crawl. There’s also a winter carnival and a chili cook off.
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One of the highlights of Winterfest is the human dog sled races through town.
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The Baker House constructs an ice bar out front.
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It’s an elaborate, impressive and fun addition to the Winterfest activities.
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Every day during Winterfest, The Ridge Hotel hosts open ice skating, including skate rentals.
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Winterfest activities stretch for two weeks and culminate with the Sky Circus on Ice.
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Looking for more winter festivals to add to your calendar? Check out 15 Winter Festivals In Wisconsin That Are Simply Unforgettable.
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