On Friday, February 11, online voting for the Winterlude National Ice-Carving Competition opened. Now, Canadians have three weeks to decide which province is home to the most incredible ice sculpture in the country.

Lake Louise hosted Alberta’s ice sculpture

Earlier this winter, Lake Louise was chosen to host the province of Alberta’s Winterlude ice sculpture. A reflection of Alberta’s dramatic landscapes, this location in Banff National Park was selected for its wild, untouched scenery and uninterrupted views of Canada’s most famous lake, Lake Louise.

“Lake Louise is the ideal location for Alberta’s ice sculpture; with stunning mountain views and a history of hosting the annual Ice Magic Festival,” said Leigha Stankewich, Events and Communications Manager, at Lake Louise Ski Resort.

The piece is called Pinnacle

The ice-carving competition took place over two days, February 5-6. Over the weekend, two sculptors had 20 hours to sculpt 15 blocks of ice into a work of art inspired by the theme “Olympic and Paralympic spirit”, a nod to the ongoing 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

The final piece created by Albertan ice sculptors, Scott Harrison and Andrew Zoller, is called Pinnacle and it depicts two ski jumpers, poised for glory, framing the Olympic flame.

“The inspiration is our Canadian athletes! The drive, commitment, and strength it takes to be an Olympian”, said Harrison, on the design of the piece.

Zoller added, “As a Calgarian born and raised, one of my fondest memories as a kid was going to the 1988 Olympics. The only event I got to see was the ski jumping competition. Seeing them fly with nothing but their skis was an incredible experience that defies all natural human restrictions. I wanted to try and emulate that feeling”.

As fate would have it, the day after the ice sculpture was finished, Team Canada took home the first ski jumping medal in Canadian history, in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The team, made up of Olympians Alexandria Loutitt, Abigail Strate, Matthew Soukup and Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes, are all Albertans, raised in Calgary.

Vote for Alberta

Now, voting is open online at www.canada.ca/winterlude for Canadians to decide which province will win the Winterlude National Ice-Carving Competition. Canadians from coast to coast to coast are invited to vote for their three favourite ice sculptures based on the following criteria: overall impression, concept creativity and originality, quality of technical work and attention to detail.

The voting period will remain open for three weeks, ending on Sunday, February 20, at 5:00pm (EST). The winning province will be announced on February 21.

Cast your vote at www.canada.ca/winterlude.