It seems only fitting that snow sculptors will be kick-starting the Whistler Winter Arts Festival, a two-month program of live music, dance, film screenings, art, photography and other cultural events, which runs from Jan. 15 to March 21.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Yukon Canada International Snow Sculpture Touring Team visits Whistler Olympic Park, ready to dig into the fresh snow and create a local animal represented in First Nations artistic style, which is meant to represent wisdom and chieftainship. Will it be a hoary marmot, black bear, or maybe even a sasquatch?
The Yukon team has won national and international competitions in Quebec City, Russia, Japan, and Italy, and will be sculpting from Jan. 15 to 17 during the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup and the FIS Cross-Country World Cup. View more of their work at www.snowcarver.ca .
There’s also more snow sculpting in store later this season.
The Ephemeral Arts Snow Sculpting Team, formerly known as the Canadian National Snow Sculpting Team, comes from the Kootenay region of B.C. and from Jan. 20 to 22 will be at Whistler Olympic Park. And from Feb. 24 to 26, Team Quebec and Team Manitoba will visit Whistler and/or Blackcomb mountains to create their own unique snow designs.
