Thursday, January 29, 2009

Team Cannada/Yukon Wins Snow Sculpture Contest

Team Canada/Yukon won the 19th annual Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships this past weekend with a stunning snow statue of Native American elders dancing around an intricately carved totem pole.

Without power tools, internal support structures or coloring agents, the five-member team turned the giant block of snow into an image of swirling blankets and fearsome animal masks, besting 15 teams from nine countries.

The sculpture’s story is pertinent to Donald Watt, the winning team’s leader, because his own grandfather passed down carving knowledge to his father, who then gave the skills to Watt.

“We’ve been doing this for dozens of years as a team,” added Watt. “Conditions weren’t favorable but not impossible to work with.”

The winning team is currently on a world tour — they’re participating in contests in China, the United States and Canada this season.

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