Gift Guides, Events and Holiday Cheer
Alaskan Ice Sculptors Stifled by Freezing Temperature
FILE-AP
Unfortunately for residents of North Pole, Alaska, the chilly climate has put a freeze on the town's Christmas festivities. Plunging temperatures have hampered ice sculptures.
Who would have thought weather could be too cold for ice itself?
Ice sculptors for the annual Christmas in Ice event in North Pole, Alaska, that draws visitors from all over the world have been unable to work efficiently because the temperature has fallen too low. Ranging from 30 to 40 degrees below zero, the chill has made the ice too delicate, the Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported.
“One carver had his wing on his angel break and had to bring the wing inside to warm it up and glue it together. Anytime it gets below minus 20, ice becomes a lot more brittle," Keith Fye, chairman of Christmas in Ice, told the paper. "When you put a chisel to it, it can crack the wrong way.”
During normal conditions, around 20 local and international sculptors would attend the event to create festive ice installations. This year, only half of them were able to help because of issues with the unmanageable ice along with destroyed tools and damaged electrical cords according to the Fairbanks Daily News Miner.
The event runs from December 1 through January 6.
