The Art of Ice

Story and photos by Jen Taft

The simple things in life bring the most pleasure. This holds true for the distinct seasons, whether being the vibrant colors of autumn's changing leaves, the delicate features of a fallen snowflake in midwinter, the sunrise of a promising summer morning, or the welcome rainbows that follow spring's rain showers. Here in the North Country, an area blessed with the presence of all four seasons, people love the beauty that comes with the great outdoors and many take every opportunity available to experience it. The awe that so often accompanies nature results from the many forms that it can take, some of which are modified by human hands to create breathtaking effects. One such art form is a wintertime favorite in the North Country, ice sculpting and carving.

An ice wall at the Lake George Carnival acts as a gateway to Shepard's Cove .

The symbol of the Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake, New York, is the Ice Palace. Made up of ice blocks taken from the ice covering Lake Flower on Pontiac Bay, this act remembers the village's historic ice industry. Back before electric refrigerators were invented, ice was taken from local lakes to put into boxes and shipped around the world. Most of the ice is cut with a saw designed in the 1940s, and the rest is cut by hand. Due to the unseasonably warm weather, the ice was not as thick as the sixteen to twenty inch range the crew of builders is used to, and they had to use blocks that were thinner than they had ever used before, at eleven inches. Each block was four by two feet and several hundred pounds–an eighteen-inch block weighs about six hundred pounds. After being cut, the blocks are floated to the edge of the bay and removed by a claw that places them in a vehicle that can hold and transport their weight and size.

The blocks are then either stored in a building for the night or moved directly to the construction site. Cranes or log loaders are used to place the blocks directly on the wall formation using slush that is hand-packed. Mortar is used for holding the blocks together. Volunteers are a key element in building the palace, helping out under the supervision of architect Ed Scharmer. More than fifty people showed up to lend a hand this year, in addition to twenty inmates from the local prison.

Ed Scharmer is the head of the committee that meets in December before the Christmas holiday to come up with a palace design that matches the Carnival theme. For this year's Roaring Twenties theme, a bar was put in the back with a label reading Speakeasy. “We have a tradition,” Scharmer said of the process of coming up with the palace blueprints. “We meet at the Belvedere Restaurant in Saranac Lake and toss around some ideas. We basically sketch something out on a napkin. Once that sketch and the concept as to what we're going to build is put together, I usually bring it home and over Christmas I translate that into a diagram of what we're really going to build.”

The real work on the Ice Palace doesn't begin until early January, when the preparation of the ice begins. In order to get the ice as thick as it needs to be in a rather short period of time, the snow must be kept off of it. “This can be difficult because you can put people on two inches [of ice], a small ATV with a plow on four inches, but it takes about eight inches before you can get a small pickup truck on it to plow with,” Scharmer explained.

"We basically sketch something out on a napkin."

The twentieth of January is when the crew likes to start work to allow themselves two weeks before the Winter Carnival starts on February 3. However, this year that was unable to happen because of uncharacteristically high temperatures. The palace was constructed in three days, the shortest amount of time it has ever taken to build it. Most years the full two weeks is needed. Generally the palace will have between two and three thousand blocks, but this one had only eleven hundred. Typically the structure ends up being around eighty-five feet long by 65 feet wide and anywhere from thirty to fifty feet high, but due to weather constraints the size of the palace was smaller than normal, though still as aesthetically pleasing as always.

Be sure to check out next year's Saranac Lake Winter Carnival and make an effort to go see the Ice Palace. The detail and planning that goes into creating such a structure is amazing, and you won't be anything less than impressed by the final product!

Did you see any ice sculptures this winter?

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival

Back in 1897, Saranac Lake was a health resort that was home to many victims of tuberculosis who had come to the area in hopes of a cure. Local residents, known as the Pontiac Club, wanted to give these patients something to brighten their long winter, and ended up creating the basis for the annual Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, then called the Midwinter Carnival. The original carnival lasted just two days and was composed of skating races, harness races on the ice, a parade and a costume ball. The following year welcomed the addition of an ice fortress, supervised by a patient with a background in architecture. What became known as the Ice Palace is still one of the Carnival's highlights today.

Over the last one hundred years, the Carnival has become more involved and high-tech, adding more races, snow sculptures, concerts, dinners, dances, two parades and the crowning of a king and queen (in addition, there also is a prince, princess, court, pages, Archbishop and Chamberlain). The coronation kicks off the festivities each year, and honors the man and women who did the most for the volunteer work for the community over the past year.

Outdoor activities are still a the main focus of the Winter Carnival, in a rather unique fashion. It features volleyball played in snow that comes up to the players' knees, and softball that is played while wearing snowshoes!

Lake George Winter Carnival

Plenty of people have gone swimming in a cold pool before. But have you ever gone swimming in a freezing cold lake during the middle of winter?

The seven hundred participants in the Lake George Polar Bear Swim have and many are repeat "Polar Bears," having done it more than just once. The annual swim, taking place on January 1, signals the start of the Lake George Winter Carnival. Anyone brave enough to take the plunge runs into the water-and many run right back out, staying in for as long as they can in the frigid temperatures before going back to shore to find a towel and warm clothes. The Carnival is spread out over several weekends, ending in early March. Activities are geared for families and people of all ages, and include games, races and contests. Ice fishing, broomball, golf, ATV riding and chili cook-offs are just some of the events one can participate in.