Winterlude sculptors wow crowd with 40-tonne skates

February 18, 2010 · Filed Under Festivals in the News, News

By Stacy O’Brien – Red Deer Advocate

A monumental pair of hockey skates — nearly five metres high — by two Central Albertan artists won top prize at the Winterlude National Snow Sculpture Competition in Gatineau, Que., this past weekend.

The sculpture, titled Snow Skates, was the work of snow sculptors Brian McArthur of Red Deer, Michael Decaire of Mirror and Eric Burton of Edmonton.

The teams worked with a 40-tonne block of snow close to five metres high, more than three metres deep and more than three metres wide. Starting on Feb. 9 and working until Feb. 13, the three men sculpted the snow for up to 12 hours each day, putting in 55 hours altogether to finish the artwork on time.

The artists roughed out the design using shovels then used carving tools and scraping tools known as rasps, working from the top of the project down to the ground, to create the unique design.

“It’s really physically demanding,” said Decaire, who has made furniture for more than 30 years, with his business Michael Decaire Fine Furniture. “It’s snow and you think it’s soft and it’s easy to move around. But it’s almost like you’re shovelling your driveway for four and a half days.”

McArthur said they got the idea to make the world’s largest pair of skates to go with the Rideau Canal, which is often called “the world’s largest skating rink”. The theme for this year’s Winterlude was Winter Play, with the mandate to promote winter activities, so the skates were a perfect fit.