The Christmas holidays were over last year, and we were ready for a few days rest. Breckenridge is just two hours west on Interstate 70 from our home near Denver, so we decided to drive up for a few days to enjoy the event that is now part of the Olympic Winter Games.

Every competition of international proportions needs to have local support and this event is no exception. Rob Neyland and Ron Shelton, two local businessmen, began sculpting snow for fun about 20 years ago. Soon they were encouraged to enter the National Snow Sculpting Competition in Milwaukee. "Going to the Nationals is what turned our competition into what it is today." says Neyland. A few years later, after having competed internationally, Neyland and Shelton convinced the town to sponsor a snow sculpting event. From 1986-1989 Breckenridge was sanctioned to conduct the Colorado State Snow Sculpting Championships. Snow sculpting quickly rose to international prominence when it was included in the Olympic Arts Festival at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games. Breckenridge was ready, and the first International Snow Sculpting Championship took place in 1990.

A committee selects the competitors based on their application and design to be sculpted. The competitors are provided with a block, packed with man-made snow from the Breckenridge Ski Resort, 10 feet square, 12 feet high, weighing 20 tons. We watched the four person teams use only hand tools and work with snow, ice and water. They have about 65 hours to finish their sculpture. "Sculptures evolve before the eyes of the audience - that is the real benefit to the public - they can witness the living process of the sculptor at work. The sculpture is in the block, all you need to do is find it and uncover it," says Neyland.

We arrived early to marvel at the sculptors' skills and watch as the sculptures began to emerge from the blocks of snow. We enjoyed meeting and talking to the competitors about their designs, how they build scale models to see if the design works, we looked at the tools they made or improvised and found out about their backgrounds and their real lives. The competitors encompass many artistic and technical skills which they apply to their sculptures. They are people from all walks of life coming together to do what they love.

The judges look for artistic impression, creativity, expression and techniques in the best use of the snow. The competitors also have the opportunity to judge each other with the Artists' Choice Award. The spectators participate by voting for the Peoples' Choice Award and Kids' Choice Award. The awards are appreciated as they show how their work is received by the public.

Since the competition covers almost five days, there is ample time to go exploring. We stopped at the Visitor's Center on Main Street to get information about the local attractions and obtain a self guided tour map of the historic sites. With daytime temperatures below freezing, we warmed up with some Mocha Lattes at the Udder Delight, just a short block from the sculpting venue. This coffee, chocolate, ice cream and emporium had just what we needed to take off the chill. In the evening we had a delightful dinner at the Hearthstone, a beautifully restored Victorian home.

The next day, after visiting the sculptures and checking on their progress, we drove about two miles, to visit the Country Boy Gold Mine, one of Breckenridge's historic mines. Betsy and Doug Tomlinson, the mine's owners take visitors deep into the mountain, discuss the mine's history and describe the old mining equipment that is still found throughout the site.

On our last night we enjoyed a forest sleigh ride and miner's dinner that took us back into the early days of Breckenridge. In an authentic 1860s miner's cabin we are welcomed by host Al Nielsson, owner of Nordic Sleigh Rides, entertained us with Scott Joplin piano renditions and regaled us with tales of the mountain men who lived in the area.

Our winter escape succeeded and we came away with a new respect for snow and snow sculpting. We now look at mounds of snow and envision penguins, saints, queens and spirits just waiting for the right person to come and set them free. After several days at a snow sculpting event you too will look at snow differently.