The 2025 Lake Geneva Winterfest saw snow sculptors battling not just each other, but also the unpredictable weather. Turning snow into art is always a race against the clock, according to sculptor David Mitchell. “Making anything out of a big piece of snow, it’s a lot of work,” Mitchell said.
“You gotta know what you are going to carve, and you gotta go to work.”
Mitchell began sculpting on Wednesday with the goal of finishing by Saturday morning. But when temperatures hit 50 degrees on Thursday, his team had to rapidly adapt. “When you are doing something like this, you really want it to be cold,” he explained.
“I worked Thursday night, even though it was raining.”
This year’s Winterfest featured 15 crews working against the elements to create snow sculptures.
Sculptors battle unpredictable weather
Despite the challenges, the teams produced intricate, detailed works of art.
“There’s so much detail, I never thought I could see so much detail in some snow,” said spectator Alexander Kuenning. Early January of 2025 saw fluctuating temperatures with minimal snowfall in southeast Wisconsin, but the event still managed to attract spectators. “I wasn’t sure everything was actually going to be here – because they said it would still be here if it didn’t melt,” said Marciann Bock, another observer, marveling at the resilience of the sculptures despite the warm weather.
The final day of Winterfest is Sunday, Feb. 2, and the public can view the completed sculptures at Riviera Plaza and Flat Iron Park. This report is based on observations from Saturday’s event.