Warmer weather freezes outdoor winter events in Minnesota

Below is a summary of January's events adapting to the ever-changing climate.

Breezy Point Ice Fest, January 5-6

The Breezy Point Ice Fest on Lake Superior began more than 30 years ago with drag races on the ice. Those races stopped a while ago because of inconsistent ice, said David Spizzo, vice president of Breezy Point Resort.

But the Ice Festival continues, even in warm winters like this one.

“It's an easy process, but lack of ice and lack of snow is a problem in the Brainerd Lakes area,” Spizo said.

This year Ice Fest will run from January 5-6 in a modified version. Some events normally held on ice will move to the beach.

These include fireworks, a bonfire, and a cornhole tournament. The pond hockey tournament has been cancelled. Regular beach activities such as horse-drawn paragliding and face painting will continue.

“We don't want to advise people to go on the ice at this point,” Spizo said. “But you know, in Minnesota, people are just looking for a good reason to go out and have a few beers, so that hasn’t changed.”

Sandstone Ice Festival, January 2-14

This weekend is Colorado's All In Ice Fest, an event for ice climbers from historically marginalized communities, Hill said.

However, the late start was a boon for Sandstone Ice Fest, as Hill said ice planting was already a month later than usual years.

“We're able to get nice, solid, greasy snow usually by Dec. 1 or the second week of December,” Hill said.

The fat ice is about 2 feet thick and ideal ice growing temperatures are in the teens and single digits.

“Right now, we have a pretty good base and with the temperatures dropping, I'm anticipating a lighter year than last year, unfortunately, but I think we can make some very good ice for the festival,” Hill said.

Art Shanty Projects, Lake Harriet: January 20 – February 11

Last weekend, Erin Lavelle, artistic director of Art Shanty Projects, slammed her fist through a thin layer of ice on Lake Harriet, the site of Art Shanty Projects. It was about a half inch thick and would have to be at least 10 inches thick to build a pop-up art village on the frozen lake.

“We are now anxiously awaiting the ice accumulation,” Lavelle said. “Right now, it's really borderline — it may or may not happen.”

This is the 20th anniversary of the event and the technical igloo team have adopted a scheme to build an ice forecast where they can communicate high and low temperatures.

Construction on the huts is scheduled to begin on January 13, so event organizers will decide by January 12 whether there is enough ice to build on or whether they should move the event to the beach, like last year, which was called “Plan Beach.” . ”

Although in 2023, the event faces a different weather hurdle, Lavelle said.

“Last year the ice was good until we had this freak snow storm, which isolated and melted the ice,” she said. “I think we are moving into a period where the weather will be less predictable in the winter.”

Lavelle said Art Shanty Projects revised its mission statement in 2021 to address climate change. It now states, “Art Shanty Projects is intentionally creating a non-permanent art village on the ice of a Minnesota lake amidst climate and environmental change.”

Spicer Winterfest, January 20 – February 11

Some events prior to the 39th annual Spicer WinterFest have been canceled due to warmer conditions, including the Central Minnesota Pond Racing event and the Spicer Speed ​​Run and Oval Race, both of which were scheduled to take place on January 20.

Other ongoing events include the Frozen 5K, polar plunge, Nordic skiing, fireworks and a beach bonfire.

“No further decisions regarding changes or cancellations have been finalized,” said Beth Fisher, executive director of the Willmar Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The WinterFest committee meets next week to decide on any further changes or cancellations.

World Snow Sculpting Championships, Stillwater: January 17-21

So far, the warm winter and lack of snow have not affected World Snow Sculpting Championship operations in Stillwater.

“We actually don't need the snow, if you will, from Mother Nature to make the sculptures,” said Robin Anthony, president of the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, which runs the event. “We actually make clean ice.”

Anthony said a team from Afton Alps brought their snow gun and has already started making snow in the Lowell Park parking lot in downtown Stillwater. Ice making is optimal when temperatures are in the teens.

“They attach a hose to a fire hydrant downtown and then blow it off when it gets cold enough to do that,” Anthony said. “At some point, a parking lot that's too big is going to look like a big whale.”

Ice Castles, Maple Grove: Delayed opening

The Ice Castle in Maple Grove is one of six frosty structures built across the country by the Utah-based company Ice Castles, including locations in Wisconsin, Colorado, Utah, New Hampshire and New York. Brent Christensen, founder of Ice Castles, said the weather was “weird” at all locations, but Minnesota is usually a more reliable location for cold weather.

However, this year's opening of the attraction was delayed by more than a month after the first attempt to build the ice castle — which often stands 30 feet high — was foundered by high temperatures in early December.

“We were six or eight feet tall in some spots. It completely melted into the dirt,” said Christensen, a resident of Alpine, Utah. “So we started over, which is good, but it definitely pushed us back.”

“It's a little bit of a weird year, a little bit unpredictable, which unfortunately we're seeing more and more of,” Christensen said.

At ideal temperatures, they can build two feet of vertical castle ice per day, he said. The site is expected to be ready by the end of January and will remain ready until February.

Ice Palace Minnesota, Delano: January. 25

The Ice Palace Minnesota in Delano Central Park was originally scheduled to open on December 22. However, the 90,000-square-foot structure requires several weeks of below-freezing temperatures for ice to grow.

“Last year, we were able to start construction in November,” said Anna Smith, general manager of Idaho-based Ice Palaces. This year, construction didn't start until late December. The whole process takes about three weeks, but Smith said the Ice Palaces team will continue to develop the structure after it opens.

In 2023, the site opened on December 27 and attracted 45,000 visitors during its duration.

“We had a really tough conversation about whether or not we needed to move forward this year, but we decided to move forward,” Smith said.

The Ice Palace Minnesota will remain in place until the end of February.