Carve Tahoe's Whimsical Snow Art

Cold creations get the snowy spotlight at a lovely lake-close event.

FROSTY ART: When we think of the great ice-sculpture events of winter, we often think of places like Canada and Sweden and other spots where the cold white stuff arrives early and stays heavy on the ground through spring. But now California is lucky enough to have its own beautiful entry into this unusual and seasonal corner of the outdoors-based art world. It's the first-ever Carve Tahoe, and as the name suggests, it will take place at North Lake Tahoe. It's set to roll -- or, er, freeze -- from Friday, Feb. 8 through Tuesday, Feb. 12 with judging taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 13.

THE MATERIALS: In a word, and a very short word at that, ice. Ice is the material for Carve Tahoe, and a lot of it: Twenty ton blocks will be employed. You can make a whole lot of sculpture out of that, an artwork that stands taller than a human or at least whirls to impressive heights.

THE PLACE: Northstar is the Carve Tahoe headquarters.

THE CARVERS: They'll hail from the U.S. as well as Japan, Russia, Canada, Germany, and Finland. Some twenty countries in all will be out among the ice blocks, scraping and drilling and shaping.

GIVING BACK: Donations will be taken at the sculptures, will all money going to local non-profits.

So our final question is this: Who is set to carve Lake Tahoe itself, and its instantly recognizable shape, in ice? We feel as though that should be the first sculpture out of the Carve Tahoe gate.

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