ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Sculptors arrived at the parking lot across from the Comfort Inn on Ship Creek Avenue in Anchorage Saturday to begin work on their entries for the Alaska State Snow Sculpture Championship.
Three long rows of frozen eight-foot-tall monoliths, having been assembled over the previous two days by individuals from Ironworkers Local 751, sat waiting to be carved into, among other ambitious plans, a replica of the Statue of Liberty, a massive bottle of ranch dressing or an Asian shrine.
Veterans of the competition raved about the quality of this year’s snow.
“A hundred times better than last year,” 30-year ice-sculpting veteran Guy Urban said. “Last year, you had a snow drought, right? And the snow was sort of a chocolate color.”
For Urban, the sculpting itself is only part of the event’s appeal.
“My first date with my wife was here,” he recalled. ″You know everybody. Old friends and that sort of thing.”
One such friend is 2025 Solo Winner Steve Lukshin, who, in light of the bitter cold, offered an alternate title for himself.
“My title, my solo name, is Sir Numb-a-Lot,” Lukshin explained as Urban, whose block is directly next to Lukshin’s, snickered. “I don’t know if I’m numb in the mind or numb in the fingers.”
As the veterans chipped away, newcomers to the carving scene watched on and took notes.
″My eyes are open to what they’re doing,” first-time competitor Eric Johnson said. “I think I might need a few sharper tools.”
Sculptors enter their work into one of five categories – junior high/high school, three-man, solo, corporate, and family – and hope to earn enough votes from the public to win.
Public display for the pieces officially begins on February 27, but artisans have until 10 a.m. on March 1 to apply their finishing touches. The finished sculptures will remain on display until March 13.
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