Warmer weather challenges Saranac ice palace builders
SARANAC LAKE – The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace weathered through the recent warm temperatures, and after the Ice Palace Workers 101 got a day of rest Friday, they’ll be back at it again on Saturday – cutting, slushing and carving.
With the mercury currently reaching up into the 30s, it’s a tough time for ice. But IPW 101 Director Dean Baker says the volunteer crew is still on track to finish a sizable and “creepy” palace for when the carnival starts on Feb 2.
“The ice is not going away,” Baker said Thursday afternoon. “But we’re not gaining anything either . ... When it hardens up on Saturday we’ll go back to work.”
The large front wall of the palace was covered up with three large blue tarps after construction ended on Wednesday and again on Thursday, to protect it from rain and hold the cold inside, preserving its structure.
Baker said there’s only been a handful of times the IPW has needed to do this in his 40 years with the crew. The most recent time was in 2016.
The warmth isn’t all bad. A warm-up can reinforce the structure of the walls if it doesn’t last long and the temperature drops below freezing again, he said, solidifying the melted ice and slush into a more cohesive mass.
Thursday was a half-day for the IPW. It wasn’t safe to be up on the existing wall, and Baker said they’re getting close to doing some “fancy construction” on that front wall, which will take a crane that is set to come next week.
So on Thursday, IPW volunteers focused on erecting a separate tower near the back of the build site. And ice carvers set to work cutting out doorways with chain saws and starting their designs.
Baker said the crew took Friday off because rain was predicted. It was wet and slushy as the IPW worked on Thursday, but working in the rain would be worse, he said.
They’ll resume work on Saturday, when the temperature is forecast to resume its winter course.
The temperature has been mostly in the 20s since the build began, and never above freezing until around midnight on Wednesday. Throughout Thursday it rose up into the high 30s.
The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures in the low- to mid-30s today, with the potential for rain through the afternoon. On Saturday, temperatures are supposed to mostly be below freezing with a low chance of snow. Sunday evening is when the temperatures are predicted to drop back to their winter course again.
The 2024 “Creepy Carnival” will be held from Feb. 2 through 11.