Lodge Sponsors 1st Place Winner of Snow Sculpture Competition

Every year, we at The Lodge sponsor and donate lodging for a team of Snow Sculptors for the State Finals of the Snow Sculpture Competition.  This year we hosted two teams, and one of them took home the State First Place Trophy!  Kathy Fraise, along with team members Sandy Hall and Eric Marnich, won hands down with their beautiful angel sculpture entitled “A Wing and a Prayer”.  But to be fair, I thought every sculpture was totally amazing.  I would not have wanted to be in the position of Judge for this event. To view more photos, see the WMUR link http://www.wmtw.com/news/maine/Snow-sculptors-compete-in-NH/-/8792012/18293580/-/jr18lr/-/index.html  or the Jackson Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.jacksonnh.com/event/14/NH-Sanctioned-Snow-Sculpting-at-Black-Mountain

Brace Yourself for Winter Fun!

I love winter! I could never enjoy living in a place that didn't have the change of seasons like I enjoy them here in New England.  To me it is the best of all possible worlds. This week we brace ourselves, literally, for some pretty cold temperatures! The red polls at our birfeeders, normally arctic dwellers, seem to feel pretty much at home. The snow in Jackson is FANTASTIC!  We just had a full house for Martin Luther King weekend, and just about everyone went skiing and took advantage of either our free XC passes or our significantly discounted lift tickets to all the downhill slopes. The consensus was a unanimous 'GREAT!' when describing the current snow conditions. This week promises to bring even more, possibly a total of 7" of fresh new powder by the weekend. This is just in time for one of the most outrageously fun Winter Events of the year: The Annual Snow Sculpture Competition, which is held up at Black Mountain, just mnutes from our front door! This year we will be hosting two teams of sculptors, so you'll get to meet and greet sometime over the weekend. Fifteen plus teams will be creating amazing, 8' high pieces of art for all to enjoy.  There will be a bonfire to warm your hands and toes, great food, vendors, and fun for the entire family. The event is free, and it starts on Friday, January 25th at noon, and continues until noon on Sunday. You're welcome to join the Welcome dinner where you can meet and talk with the sculptors, and then join the Awards Banquet. Tickets for both events are sold separately through the Jackson Chamber of Commerce at (603) 383-9356.

It's January in Jackson ... Can the Snow Sculptures be Very Far Off?

 

So the awesome ice carving competition has happened (see last week’s blog), and the ice sculptures will be hanging out at the Wentworth for the foreseeable future as long as current temps hold.  They were AWESOME!  My favorite was the Mayan Calendar … how about you? Come check them out!  It’s not everyday (or even EVER in most places) that you see such talent and variety persormed on a solid block of ice.  But here it is mid-January now, so I ask you: ‘Can the Annual Snow Carving Competition  be very far off?’  And the answer, of course,  is NO … it’s just around the corner!!

This event attracts a wide variety of sculptors, both amateur and professional. In fact, many of the Competing Teams will be using the weekend as a practice run for Lake Geneva and the Nationals. Other sanctioned states holding championship competitions include Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. Each team of sculptors consists of 2 or 3 members, and in order to be eligible to compete in the State Championship, team members must be 18 years or older and reside or work in New Hampshire. The winning team of the State Championship will receive a trophy and an invitation to compete in the United States National Snow Sculpting Competition, to be held at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in 2014. Our New Hampshire State Sanctioned winners for 2012 was the Greg Grady, Jr. team who will be headed to Lake Geneva for the 2013 Nationals representing the entire state of New Hampshire. Dick Devellian who is from Jackson, New Hampshire, have been a past winner a few times. The winners of the Nationals then go on to compete in international competitions offered by sanctioned member countries such as Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, Norway and Russia. 

Amateurs and professionals of any age are eligible to compete in the Overall and People's Choice Awards. Team members come from a variety of backgrounds including chefs from fine restaurants, architects, students of culinary and art schools, and various civic organizations. Sculptors from outside of New Hampshire will also be in Jackson participating in the invitational, exhibiting their magnificent works of snow art. Each team will be given a cylinder shaped block of snow 4 feet in diameter by 8 feet tall to create their snow sculptures. Most of the teams will start sculpting on Friday, January 25th and continue working through the night on Saturday to complete their sculptures in time for the judging on Sunday afternoon January 27th starting at Noon. Judging is based on creativity, technique and message. 

Other activities planned for the snow sculpture weekend include a welcome reception dinner, with a bon fire and roasting of marshmallows, sleigh rides and more. Be sure to check back as we get closer to the date of the event for complete details. 

Jackson Annual Ice Carvings

It’s not as if Jackson Village wasn’t picturesque enough with only its covered bridge, white steepled church,  one room school and the rivers and waterfalls … making its nickname of ‘Norman Rockwellville’ an apt description. Here we’ve got downhill and cross-country skiing and more miles of trails than roads, as well as horse-drawn sleighrides and ice-skating under millions of little white lights. But every January brings the Annual (this year the 18^th annual) Ice Carving Competition over at the Wentworth. This year’s entries were awesome!!  If the cool temperatures hold, then they will be visible for quite some time, and are an absolute marvel to behold.  Be sure to ask us and we will steer you in the right direction to see them.

"Best Snow in the Last 6 Years!!"

“Best skiing in the last 6 years!”

That’s what Dave Matthews, a snow board instructor up at Black Mountain, just told Dana on the phone! We have cold temperatures, a thick base and lots of beautiful fluffy snow on top.  This whole last week we’ve been getting what Dave calls “Altitude Snows” .  Down here in Jackson Village, where  we’ve been getting a fresh inch or two each night, the snow is just delightful.  But up on the slopes, that same snowfall has been multiplied 10-fold, making it really significant!!!  This makes for wonderful ski conditions, the likes of which we haven’t seen in New England  for many years.  Combine this with our free passes for XC, snow shoeing and tubing at Great Glen Trails; and significantly discounted  tickets to Jackson XC, Attitash, Cranmore, Wildcat and Black Mountains, and you’ve got a recipe for some superb winter fun.  Give us a call to make a reservation at 603-383-0999!