News Archive

Snow is transformed into art in Breckenridge
Celebrate winter during the 19th Annual Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. – Experience the visual grace of the creation and exhibition of fleeting art. The Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships return to Breckenridge for the 19th year from January 20-25, 2009.

For the 2009 event, 16 teams from around the globe have been invited to compete from nine countries including Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. Snow Sculpting is attended annually by more than 30,000 people of all ages from across America and the world and has been named by USA Today as “one of the top 10 ways to celebrate winter.”
 
Each year, four-person teams are assigned 12-foot-tall, 20-ton blocks of machine-made snow. These teams work within a five-day period to create sensational sculptures. From these blocks of snow, the teams often create enormous pieces of whimsy, although some deliver powerful political or social commentary. Some sculptures are even interactive and allow spectators to experience the tactile as well as visual grace of the fleeting exhibit.
The finished pieces are achieved after a total of 65 intense hours of work without the use of power tools, internal support structures or colorants – just the ingenuity of man and a medium that lends itself, if only temporarily, to the persuasion of chisels, saws, chicken wire and even carrot scrapers.
 
When the sculptures are finished, a panel of well-known artists and patrons of the arts serve as judges and present awards to the first, second and third place sculptures. Awards are also given for People’s Choice, Kids’ Choice and Artists’ Choice. There are no cash prizes; the artists instead revel in the reward of hard work, forged friendships, freedom of artistic expression and the satisfaction of long hours of preparation that lead to the event.
 
Those coming to Breckenridge during Snow Sculpture week should be sure to check-out Breckenridge’s world-class ski resort. Book three nights of lodging and three days of adult lift tickets and receive FREE an additional night of lodging and an additional day of adult skiing. Participation may vary. Package valid January 11 through March 14, 2009.

 CONTACT: Carly Grimes, Breckenridge Resort Chamber Public Relations Director, office: 970-453-5064 or cgrimes@gobreck.com, web: www.gobreck.com.

About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading of mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties at the Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, the Heavenly Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

Contact(s)

Ryan Whaley

Communications Manager
Email: rwhaley@vailresorts.com
Phone: (970) 496-4107

CONTACT: Carly Grimes, Breckenridge Resort Chamber Public Relations Director, office: 970-453-5064 or cgrimes@gobreck.com, web: www.gobreck.com.

News Alerts
Don't miss out on our updates. Enter your details below to keep up with our latest news.
* Required Fields
Global Resources Feature Box

Resources

If you are a member of the media and have an inquiry or information request, we encourage you to e-mail the Vail Resorts communications and media relations team.

Press Kit