Held in the resort town of Brekcenridge, Colorado since 1991, the International Snow Sculpture Championships draw teams of snow sculptors from around the world each winter. The pastime started off as an informal part of the town's winter festival in the 1960s and 1970s and developed into an all-out international competition. Teams have several days to complete their sculptures without power tools, paints or internal supports before judging takes place.
Interestingly, it wasn't Canada, Norway or any other cold-weather country that took home first place at the 2011 International Snow Sculpture event; it was Mexico. The Mexican team transformed a massive, 20-ton block of snow into a piece called "Alebrije," which depicted three traditional mythological figures. They worked for 65 hours to put together their masterpiece.
While Mexico may seem like more of a sand-sculpting force, second and third place went to more traditional cold-weather teams: Team Canada Yukon for its "Spirits of the Aurora" Northern Lights piece took second and local Team USA Breckenridge took third with its "Underwater."
Not all captivating snow sculptures are created by people. Mother Nature also has a skilled hand when it comes to designing snow sculptures. One interesting formation that can often be seen at ski resorts is referred to as a "snow ghost." Snow ghosts occur when snow, ice, wind and cold temperatures combine to turn evergreens into white, thickly-coated "beings." The phenomenon is well-known at certain ski resorts like Whitefish, Montana and Big White, British Columbia.
What's more fun than looking at a snow sculpture? Making use of a functional snow sculpture. In mountain resorts around the Alps and Pyrenees, including Engelberg, Gstaadt and Zermatt, visitors will find igloo villages where they can spend the night in a real igloo. Villages have amenities like hot tubs, dining and bars.