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RV park becomes world ice art carving center
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Prior to leaving Fairbanks, AK Friday evening I was fortunate to tour the annual World Ice Art Carving championship at the Ice RV Park not far from the Fairbanks Airport. The ice carvers come from all over the world to participate in this event. Carvers from Mongolia, France, Germany, Switzerland, the lower 48, including Arizona, and several from Alaska exhibited their skills. Although my creative ability is quite limited I do appreciate the skills of others. This is art in very masterful and pleasing form. The carving is done on huge blocks of clear, clean ice harvested from a pond at the RV Park. Apparently the ice blocks used in the first carving event were imported from Michigan at great expense. Then the sponsors realized that ice was available in Alaska. Seems obvious to many, but remember that the ice must be free from pond weeds, algae and other extraneous materials for best carving results. A mechanically proficient inventor developed a huge, powerful ice saw that can cut the 3 x 8 x 5 ft blocks of ice from the lake. They are then removed by crane and transported to the nearby RV Park, placed in each campsite as needed for the 1 block and multi-block carvings. http://fairbanks-alaska.com/ice-sculptures.htm
Professional, amateur and junior carvers are entered in the competition. The carvers are allowed 60 hrs for the single block and 110 hrs for the multi-block competition. The carvings are exhibited until the temperatures increase high enough to cause melting and the demise of the beautiful forms.
This use of an RV park in Fairbanks certainly adds a new and unique twist to RVing. Of course, the park is usually open to RVers only in the summer, although I did see RVs in a few campsites, but unoccupied during this period of below zero temperatures.
The World Ice Art Championships offers ice slides for children and adults, a Kiddies area with ice tunnels and mazes, a junior carvers area and a stage with ice chairs fit for a king and queen, along with large ice buildings and even a phone booth with a functional pay phone.
Ice carvers photos, profile and working drawings are placed in front of each carving, along with the ribbons and awards for those chosen from 1st to 6th in each category. There are awards for both realistic and abstract art. My personal favorite, as a former Microbiologist was the DNA helix, so I asked my daughter and grandson to pose their DNA and hence, a portion of my DNA, with that sculpture.
The exhibits range from small animals and human figures in the 1 block section to a 20’ high King Kong in the multi-block section. The carving is done using a wide variety of tools and techniques and is truly beautiful. Even in the below zero temperatures my fingers didn’t freeze as I took photos of practically every exhibit so that I could later view them in the warmth of Arizona.
Within 10 hours after viewing this wonderful, classic, art carving paradise at –10F I walked into the blazing Phoenix sunshine at + 80F, concluding my 2.5 week visit to the icebox of Alaska.
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