The Enchanted Forest won’t be too quiet for a few days. The Double Block competition began at 8:00am on February 25. With 19 teams competing, that is only 1 shy of the  number of teams allowed to carve. That is more than Ice Alaska has had in several years. The horn will blow at 10:00pm, announcing the ending on the 27th. As the name implies, each team is made up of 2 carvers and they have two blocks with which to create their masterpiece. Each block is approximately 6′ x 4′ x 3′. The finished sculpture cannot exceed 12′.

I thought these were fun. They are artists’ sketches of their visions. The first one is a hoot and I can’t wait to see it carved in ice. It is entitled “Is There No Privacy” by Kevin Starrow and David Smith. Number two is a vision submitted by Brian Carter and Chris Lantz showing Marlins and Sea Turtles. Number three is a drawing of the sculpture from Angelito Baban and Louis Medlock. Number four is called Scorpion Clock by Chris Foltz and Ryan Anderson. It looks mesmerizing. Number five may bring tears. It did for me. The Sculpture is a tribute to Ina Timling’s late husband, Ronnie Daanen, who perished in a helicopter crash this past year. The piece is named “Tulips”.

With just three days to carve, again, the emotion level is high and the pace frantic. Yes, there is just something very special about the synergy exhibited by the two artists working on their masterpieces.

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