On the shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, during the 2016 Winterfest U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition, there were delicate sprays of snow showers from various directions. It wasn’t snow flurries or the lake effect. The chilly commotion was generated by a select group of men and women sculpting huge blocks of freshly produced snow with chisels, saws, and ice choppers for the 21st U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition.

The national event, held the first full week of February every year, brings the best snow sculptors from across the States to carve eight-by-nine-feet blocks of compressed snow into stunning pieces of art. More than 20,000 onlookers from various states watched snow sculptors as they worked along the lakefront and at the Riviera Plaza next to the pier. The 10-day Winterfest also included a cocoa crawl, chili cook-off, beer tastings, helicopter rides, a tailgating Super Bowl party, winter carnival and fireworks, ATV and snowmobile rides and display, Frosty’s beach bonfire, souper-magical night, Napoletana pizza-making classes, an ice bar, human dog sled races, and Sky Circus on Ice—a kite-flying show.