Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships

{International Snow Sculpture Championship. Photo by David Shankbone} Bringing life to snow and ice, the town of Breckenridge hosts, every January the International Snow Sculpture Championships. The competition consists of 16 teams from around the world including teams from Argentina, China, and Mongolia, who battle it out for the top snow sculpture in downtown Breckenridge.

To compete, sculptures must hand-carve 20-ton blocks of snow into enormous, detailed works of art. But the real challenge is the sculptures are only allowed to use hand tools to create their masterpieces; no power tools are allowed! Slowly chipping away over a five-day period, teams reveal their works of art to be crowned snow sculpture champion.

image of a snow sculpture — Art at the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championship. Photo by Photo_Hiker_Dave

One of the best times to view the sculptures is at night when they are lit up in a sort of multi-technicolor art display. The sculptures do not hang around after the event ends. They are promptly removed when the event site closes on the last day.

The event is FREE and always has been open to the general public. Visitors will find the sculptures at 150 West Adams Avenue, in the area around the Riverwalk Center. Free parking is available along Airport Road with free town shuttles running every 15 minutes (via the Yellow Route).