Winterlude 2022: Vote for Manitoba!

Photo by Stephanie Woltman

Last weekend I had the chance to do something really cool here in Winnipeg: I got to witness the Winterlude Ice Carving Championship in action!

A little bit of backstory: this year, in the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, 20 ice carvers across 10 provinces were given 4500 pounds of ice (15 blocks of ice weighing 300 pounds each). Over the course of 20 hours, they had to create their masterpieces! And now, voting is open to the public.

What I’m asking of you is to vote for Manitoba! Voting takes only a few seconds and is open until February 20th. You get the chance to vote for first, second, and third places, so I hope you’ll consider choosing Manitoba as first. And how could you not pick Manitoba… our ice sculpture is a moose, a Canada goose, and a beaver curling, the most Canadian thing I could imagine, hah.

Photo by Dan Harper

While I’ve seen a bit of ice carving in the past, it was so amazing to watch the creativity and skill of ice carvers Tom Pitt and Larry MacFarlane as they worked together; they made it look easy, though I know it was anything but. On a sunny but crisp day, I was able to spend a few hours watching it all come to life, including the final touches.

Photo by Dan Harper

It’s been a cold winter in Manitoba (especially as I’m in my third trimester, which makes the snow and ice a little bit more difficult these days) but I’m so happy I got the opportunity to witness something so unique and memorable. We could all use a smile these days, and I spent the entire afternoon at the Ice Carving Championship with the hugest smile on my face.

I hope you’ll head to Winterlude 2022 and vote for Manitoba!

Photo by Dan Harper

Many thanks to the Government of Canada and Tourism Winnipeg for sponsoring this campaign and asking to work with me.