Cape Breton Post

Snow sculpture experts share tips, tricks.

- LAURA CHURCHILL DUKE SPECIAL TO SALTWIRE NETWORK news@cbpost.com @capebreton post

Shawn Daigle is king of the castle. The snow castle, that is.

The Labrador City, N.L. native is renowned for his snow sculpting abilities, and together with his father and brother, has represente­d Newfoundla­nd in the National Snow Sculpting Competitio­n on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

“We carve because it is fun and so many people observe us,” said Daigle. “They share their appreciati­on and we love seeing the younger children's faces when they see their TV characters come to life in the snow. It is so rewarding.”

Daigle says he's done so many snow carvings that it's hard to list them all. They've ranged from simple candles and holly leaves to enormous sculptures like whales, puffins and giant squid that measure 12 feet long and 12 feet wide and tower 16 feet into the air.

For many years, Daigle has maintained the family tradition of having a snow carving in front of his home every Christmas.

"A lot of folks have said it just wouldn't be Christmas without our sculptures," said Daigle. "My father and I have also carved angels and nativity scenes for our local churches."

Snow sculptures have become such a part of his family's identity that his brother even got married in a snow castle, which they built.

SNOW BLOCKS

P.E.I.'s Abe Waterman, another snow sculpture master, said he began in his yard with wet packed snow, using little more than a shovel and his hands. Since then, he has advanced his methods and can be found sculpting at various events, including P.E.I.'s Jack Frost Festival and the Snow King Festival in Yellowknif­e, N.W.T.

Waterman still occasional­ly does sculpt in his yard, often waiting for a warmer day when he can pack up a large vertical pile of snow and then wait for it to freeze solid during colder days.

To create the larger blocks of snow, Waterman explained the piles are often packed up using a loader, which fills larger forms constructe­d of reinforced plywood. The snow is then packed down by foot as they're filled and then later the forms are removed. As long as the powder snow is agitated, often by stomping it by foot, it will set solidly in freezing temperatur­es.

What nature deposits on the ground directly is just not enough and isn't dense enough for the large sculptures, said Daigle. He, too, uses heavy equipment like loaders to collect snow from nearby fields and gather it in a central location, where they then use large snowblower­s to mulch the snow and pile it as high as possible in the desired location. After a day or so, the piled snow is set and very hard-packed.

Marty Byrne of Labrador also uses the plywood forms to get started with his sculptures but uses a snowblower to take all the snow from his lawn — and sometimes his neighbours' lawns — to fill the forms. Filling the forms takes a couple of days.

BE CHOOSY

Daigle said it's important to be very picky about your snow.

"Wet sticky snow is difficult to carve and when it gets colder, it gets much more difficult to work with," said Daigle, noting he does not recommend using this type of snow.

Instead, hard-packed dry snow — the kind that forms in snowdrifts — is perfect, he said.

He recommends cutting blocks from snowdrifts and stacking them like bricks to get the basic block of snow. Use loose powdery snow as mortar to hold the blocks and fill in spaces, explains Daigle.

If there are no snowdrifts to cut blocks from, gather clean snow and pass it through a snowblower twice — once to mulch up the lumps and the second time to stack it in large boxes or forms to make big, uniform blocks.

"Use your imaginatio­n to stack blocks as high and wide as you like," he said.

After compiled, Daigle said to give the snow time to set before removing the forms or stacking multiple layers. It usually takes four to eight hours for the snow to gel and become workable but in really cold temperatur­es, the snow will gel much faster.

HOW TO SCULPT

For beginners who want to make a snow sculpture without using forms or many tools, Waterman suggests using wet snow on an abovefreez­ing day.

"You can shape it by either adding or taking away snow," Waterman said.

Once one gets into compacted snow or wet snow that's been allowed to freeze solid, better tools are required, said Waterman, who recommends electric chainsaws and sharp chisels.

"One can do much more with the compacted frozen snow as it is far stronger and you can add pieces on by fusing them together with some water," he adds.

User beware — Daigle says it's important for beginners to know ice will form on the handles of the tools, which makes gripping them difficult. Electric tools will work fine in cold temperatur­es but be sure to use a ground-fault circuit interrupte­r device to protect from electrical shock.

Other hazards that Daigle cautions about include frostbite and hypothermi­a when working for prolonged periods outside.

“Over the years, I have developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, frozen my thumb and toes, been stabbed by a sharp tool as it slipped out of my hand,” said Daigle. “My body has taken a beating.”

Daigle's brother broke his knee when falling from just a two-foot height. Take all necessary precaution­s, he said, including dressing in layers and wearing good snowboots with lots of surface area for traction.

WEATHER IMPACT

Ensuring your snow sculpture keeps its form during adverse weather conditions is a rather unpleasant and difficult task, said Waterman. Tarps help, particular­ly insulated ones. Another method Waterman recommends is spraying the sculptures with water during freezing temperatur­es to give it a skin of ice.

To prevent the daytime sun from melting the fine details, Daigle only carves the fine details on the shaded side, so the back of the sculpture always faces the sun. He also avoids colouring dyes that will absorb the sun's heat but instead goes with coloured floodlight­s, which give a much more vibrant effect at night.

In the end, Daigle said, Mother Nature will always win.

Byrne can attest to that — rain over Christmas literally melted the face off his Garfield sculpture and the sculpture couldn't be salvaged.

When sculpting, Waterman said it's most important to have fun and surprise yourself with what you're able to create with a little creativity and a bit of sweat.

It's also about creating joy for others, said Byrne.

"My sculptures have become something that our isolated little community looks forward to every year. It lets me play a positive role in my community and helps the kids around town have a lot of fun and enjoyment," Byrne said.

“You can't ask for much more than that."

DID YOU KNOW?

You can see ice sculptures on display at the third annual outdoor Ice Festival sponsored by the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission on Portland Street. The ice carvings will be exhibited, starting on Sunday, Feb. 14, in an appropriat­ely socially distanced manner.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? P.E.I.’s Abe Waterman has carved snow sculptures for several festivals and events in Canada, including Charlottet­own’s Jack Frost Festival.
CONTRIBUTE­D P.E.I.’s Abe Waterman has carved snow sculptures for several festivals and events in Canada, including Charlottet­own’s Jack Frost Festival.
 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? P.E.I.’s Abe Waterman says when sculpting snow, have fun and surprise yourself with what you’re able to create with a little creativity and a bit of sweat, as frozen blocks of snow are quite heavy.
CONTRIBUTE­D P.E.I.’s Abe Waterman says when sculpting snow, have fun and surprise yourself with what you’re able to create with a little creativity and a bit of sweat, as frozen blocks of snow are quite heavy.
 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? P.E.I.’s Abe Waterman says when sculpting snow, have fun and surprise yourself with what you’re able to create with a little creativity and a bit of sweat, as frozen blocks of snow are quite heavy.
CONTRIBUTE­D P.E.I.’s Abe Waterman says when sculpting snow, have fun and surprise yourself with what you’re able to create with a little creativity and a bit of sweat, as frozen blocks of snow are quite heavy.
 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Marty Byrne of Labrador City, N.L. has participat­ed in the Canada anniversar­y celebratio­n in Labrador West, where he created a sculpture celebratin­g Canada.
CONTRIBUTE­D Marty Byrne of Labrador City, N.L. has participat­ed in the Canada anniversar­y celebratio­n in Labrador West, where he created a sculpture celebratin­g Canada.

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