This Huge Ice Owl Stole the Show at Banff’s SnowDays

Ice sculptor Ross Baisas won first place in two solo events and helped win the team event during Banff’s Art of Ice, a three-day ice carving competition on Bear Street during SnowDays. 

Baisas and his brother, Tony Baisas, won Day 1 for their team sculpture, The Swoop. Organizers also listed The Swoop as the weekend’s Carvers’ Choice winner. 

Baisas then won Day 2’s Ice Battles final and took first place in Day 3’s Round Two speed carving event. 

How the three-day competition worked

Art of Ice ran as a free public event from Feb. 6 to 8. Organizers brought in 12 professional carvers to Bear Street for three days of live carving during SnowDays. 

Day 1: Team Carving (seven blocks, one sculpture)

On Friday, teams of two carvers had eight hours to turn seven large ice blocks into one finished sculpture. Judges scored the final sculpture as a whole, Baisas said. Organizers awarded first place to Tony and Ross Baisas for The Swoop.

Day 2: Ice Battles (one-hour rounds, judged by the carvers)

On Saturday, carvers faced off in timed rounds. Each round used a theme. Organizers listed Round One as “Eagle,” Round Two as “Wolf,” Round 3 as “Bighorn Sheep,” followed by a final. 

Baisas said organizers showed artists an image at the start of each round and gave them one hour to carve their own version. He said the artists in the event judged the Ice Battles day. 

Baisas won Round 3 and then took first place in the final round. 

Day 3: Speed Carving (two blocks, two hours, judged by a panel)

On Sunday, the event shifted to faster carving. Organizers described the format as two blocks, two hours, one carver. 

Ross Baisas won first place in Round Two. 

Carvers Choice

Baisas said the Carvers Choice award came from the artists themselves. The carvers voted for their favourite sculpture. 

How Baisas approached the weekend

“It was really warm for this time of year, but we all made it happen,” Baisas said. “Fortunately, I came out on top.”

Baisas said he works mainly with a chainsaw and chisels, then spends most of his time on the shaping. “Shaping and carving is the big challenge,” he said. 

Baisas said he tries to start with a strong idea for his sculptures. “I always go with something radical, sophisticated and mostly realistic,” he said.

When he thinks about winning, he says he keeps it simple. “You focus on proportion, attention to detail and first impression,” he said. “I never think of losing, I always think positive… I’m a very competitive sculptor.” 

Warm weather also affected Ice Magic at Lake Louise

Art of Ice ran during record-high February temperatures in the Bow Valley. In the Banff area, the temperature reached 11.3 C, breaking the previous daily record of 8.9 C set in 1954. 

The warm weather also affected a different SnowDays attraction in Lake Louise. Organizers closed Ice Magic, a shoreline ice sculptures showcase at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, one day after it opened because the sculptures deteriorated quickly.

Baisas said temperature swings are always part of the job. “Warm or too cold is always a factor for the ice,” he said. “But as a professional sculptor, you deal with any situation.”

What’s next

Baisas said his next stop is Ice Alaska in Fairbanks, a major winter ice competition that runs through late February and early March.

For more information, visit: Art of Ice and SnowDays Festival.