By Brooke Geery
On the weekend of Jan. 15-17, The Woodstock Inn and Suicide Six ski area hosted the annual “Flurry” snow sculpting competition, organized by Artistree Vermont.
Six teams worked feverishly all weekend to craft incredibly large and detailed sculptures behind the Suicide Six lodge, that started out as 6’x6’x8’ tall solid blocks of snow. The competitors were vying for entrance into the championship of snow sculpting to be held during Winter Fest at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
The winning sculpture, “Old Man Winter” was carved by the Pour Saps of Woodstock, a team made up of Tony Perham, Katie Runde and Mugsy Logan. Runde acted as captain this year, with the concept driven by Logan.The Pour Saps are returning national champs, as having the national competition in Wisconsin in 2020.
The Pour Saps described their work:
“Far away in the North Sky lives Old Man Winter. Every year he leaves his wigwam in the sky and comes to earth. This year at the foot of the mountain he found shelter in an old tree. He was kept company by the woodland animals nuzzled in the roots and the warmth of his beard. However, from time to time, the North Wind would stop by to discuss plans for the next snowstorm.”
Due to the pandemic, the Flurry was less of a festival in years past, but it did not really affect the sculptors.
Johanna Hoag and Hillary Palm
“Suicide Six took all the proper precautions for keeping everybody safe,” Perham said. “Basically our teams were our pods. So other than wearing masks we conducted business as usual.”
The sculptures remain on display at Suicide Six, and according to Perham are holding up better than in years past.
There are also more snow sculpting events to come in the region. Perham will complete a solo sculpture of a farmer snowman at Billings Farm during February vacation week, followed by a sculpture at the Fairgrounds in Cornish, New Hampshire, for educational purposes. And don’t miss Rutland Winterfest, which though smaller than in years past, will also showcase the art of carving snow, and begins Feb. 13.
