Amazing Ice Sculptures at The Wentworth Inn

Earlier this month, five ice carvers worked their magic at the Inn, fashioning glazed masterpieces out of 300-pound slabs of their frozen medium. It was the 21st annual “Great Ice Carvers of New England Invitational Ice Carving Competition,” an event we helped pioneer (originally as part of a larger Jackson Village winter festival).

The winner in this year’s matchup was Tim Pierce, a Maine chef who swayed the judges with “Easy Pickings,” a sculpture of an open-beaked, open-winged pelican poised above a fish. Like many of our participating carvers, Pierce has squared off at the Wentworth before; several of his past works have also landed him top honors in the competition.

The day of the contest is always a well-attended happening here: Spectators of all ages come to watch the cold-hardy artisans fashion delightful figures with chainsaws, chisels, and other tools.

Like the autumn flush of our New Hampshire hardwoods, or the evening light on a White Mountain peak, these Wentworth Inn ice sculptures gain extra beauty by their very transience. They’re bound to melt, but that only makes the skillful efforts of their carvers and the elegance they lend to our property all the more remarkable.

It wouldn’t be winter at the Wentworth without the “Great Ice Carvers” contest’s temporary works of art marking the season. We’re proud of this long-running tradition, and always amazed by what our master artists come up with out of a shapeless block of ice.