FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Every year, over 1,200,000 pounds of clear ice are harvested, cut, and brought to Fairbanks for the World Ice Art Championships, Ice Alaska.
On Saturday, February 17, a line was already waiting when the gates opened for the first day of the event at noon at the Tanana Valley FairgroundsSome brought sleds for the icy playground located at the front of the grounds. Some came for the ever-popular slides and some came to play games ranging from ice checkers to ice minigolf. Many came to see the artists hard at work carving their single, double or multi-block ice chunks into beautiful masterpieces.
Event organizers say the ice artists hail from not only Alaska and the Lower 48 States but all over the globe, including Australia, Japan, Canada, Latvia, and Malaysia.