Snowking says...

And the Castle opens!

2008-03-07T11:24:00.004-07:00

So, here we go for another great festival. It's hard to believe this is castle number THIRTEEN!!

We started it off with a spectacular fireworks display in -40 weather that proved we are truly are a hardy Northern bunch. We owe a great deal of thanks to our friends at Aboriginal Engineering Ltd. for a very generous donation specifically for those fireworks.

Sunday saw a great photo exhibit by Jenn Sharman, as well as a Snowking Retrospective photo exhibit by our very own Mr. Freeze (aka Stephan FolkersP who is also responsible for the lovely stature within the walls.

The castle will continue to transform in many ways as we're constantly adding new things. I encourage you all to come and see! But remember, it's cold outside so wear your snowpants.

Look for a night of "reveillerie" this Friday evening during our Nuit Francaise and this Saturday is the 8th Frozen Dog Film Festival.

Hope to see you there!

Snowking

2008-02-12T10:22:00.001-07:00

Vol 2. Edition XIII

February 05, 2008

Questions for the SnowKing
1. How long does it take you to build the snow castle?
2. Are you in your 50s?
3. Do you have help building snow castles?
4. What do you do in the summer?
5. What was your childhood like?
6. Why did you start building snow castles?

Answers for the little girl who asked the questions

Hi there Little Girl,

Thanks for your letter with the Questions, I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Your first question: How long does it take, is asked by many, many people! And to build a castle is hard work so we take our time at it so nobody gets hurt. We start at the beginning of winter (which is usually in November) when the ice on Great Slave Lake freezes. Walking on the ice at this time is VERY DANGEROUS and so we take special care to make sure it is thick enough before we can walk on it, usually 6" of ice, and your Mom says it's ok, then you can walk around. This is the perfect time to cut ice for windows. We use big saws and lots of safety equipment in case of accidents. And good thing too because once, one of my crew fell in the water. He didn't get hurt and we pulled him out right away but we sent him home so he wouldn't freeze.

After the windows are cut, we start planning the design of the castle. This is VERY difficult because everyone on the crew thinks that their ideas are the best and so we have to all make compromises (and hopefully not too many).

By the time all the compromising is finished we take a break for Christmas and start actually building in January. We won't stop until we're done but hopefully that will be after February. So, pretty much all winter long is how long it takes to build.

Your second question: Am I in my 50s? is also asked by many people and I usually remind them that things and people age slower in extreme temperatures and it's been awhile since I was in my 50s, but bless you for asking.

Question 3 asks: Do I have help?

Vol. 1 Edition XIII - January 17, 2008

2008-01-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Vol. 1 Edition XIII

January 17, 2008

Well, oh my goodness, look at the calendar! Already January 17 and still no blog! Well, I have an excuse, as soon as we could we've been cutting and blocking and blowing so much that we haven't had too much time to blog, but the battles over the plan have all been settled and the lads are hitting their stride.

This week saw the passing of the first quarter of the building season. The walls are growing and we have to stop and stand back to wonder at the height of this year's efforts. We're trying for some major castle here and so far so good.

This year's staff is a well oiled machine featuring the return of your favourites: Joe Snow, Snowbank Frank and "Pour" Old Shiverin' Sam and even though Snowbelle has an extra Snowbundle to pack around she still has time to plan the festival's activities and work with our sponsors. There's still plenty of room for more sponsors to climb on board.

We'll try to keep this blog happening with a weekly regularity but then sometimes I get mind freeze and forget...but anyway, we're up and running and look forward to your visits on the ice!

Snowking

Birthday Bash Blitz & Frozen Dog – Wicked Cool!

2007-03-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

Monday March 12

Birthday Bash Blitz & Frozen Dog – Wicked Cool!

It seems like Mother Nature has a thing to say about global Warming and judging by the last couple of nights, she’s not letting it get to her!

We had a very cool “March Birthday Bash Blitz” and all the cool people were there to celebrate. Even though the North Winds were blowing there was no stopping the die hard dancers as they squeaked and boogied to the throbbing beats of DJ Doc70. What’s that you say?! Squeaked?? Well, that’s the sound you heard throughout the castle as the dancers’ boots would step and spin.

Snowbank Frank’s Royal Café was a nice refuge from the cold and was filled with rosy cheeked smiles and laughter.

Saturday saw the much anticipated opening of Dead Man’s Slide. However, it was so popular that it needed a lot of repairs on Sunday and Shiverin’ (Sufferin’) Sam was hard at it on the Slide Doctorin’!

The Frozen Dog Film Festival (7^th Annual) was once again a popular event and so a bunch of hardy souls stayed until the very end.

Sunday was very busy and the crew was happy to be building yet more walls!

Don’t forget this weekend coming, we’ll celebrate our 500^th and 1000^th snow blocks with back to back live entertainment in our newly heated venue. That’s right! We’ll have the roof on and the heat pumped for this Rock n Roll Extravaganza! Starts at 8pm both Friday and Saturday nights. Bring your dancing snowboots!

Also, check out the 2^nd annual (for the castle at least!) Shambhala Art Festival Saturday from 11:30 to 2.

See you at the castle and stay cool!

Yer pal,

Snowking

Well it's finally on and didn't we get the cold weather?

2007-03-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Mar 5 2007

Well it's finally on and didn't we get the cold weather?

We kicked off the 12th Snowking's winter festival with some great fireworks and the cold weather didn't seem to scare off too many people. We opened our doors and saw lots of smiling faces pass through.

The castle will now be open every day from 11 am to 5pm and we'll keep building so we get everything completed.

There will be a March Birthday Blitz Dance Party featuring DJ Doc70 on Friday night and then on Saturdayu night we'll have the 7th Annual Frozen Dog Film Festival. Both of these events will be real cool so be sure to dress warm.

Also, Snowbank Frank's Royal Cafe will be open serving you coffee and hot chocolate but if you want your own special blend you are encouraged to bring your own thermos. Also please save a plastic tree and bring your thermo mug too (so we don't have to use those disposable cups so much.)

Hope you like the castle and watch this spot for the soon to come virtual tour of the castle.

yes indeedy the moment you've been waiting for

2007-02-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

Feb 26
yes indeedy the moment you've been waiting for

Well, it seems that our schedule is just about up.  We're on
in less than five days and hopefully that's enough time for
all the little details.  We were looking kinda worried there
for awhile because the funds were dwindling at an alarming
rate and then just in the nick of time our Mayor strolled down
 to make it all right. He has been  a great supporter of the
snowking's winter festival and continues to give his 100%. 
So, way to go Mr. Mayor!

The boys have been at it quite hard these last few days.
Snowbank Frank's Mom and Dad came up for some much appreciated
support and Jim was even doing some "research" on temperature
extremes and how to avoid a frozen cheek.  We look forward to
his submission.

The girls, Snowbelle and Snowflake will be down in front
post office this week selling seasons passes to the festival,
so if you want to get in on the action in a timely fashion
check them out this week, at lunchtime in front of the post
office. They'll be wearing red.

We'll be sad to lose Joe Snow, as he must return to his
studies, but his work is immensly appreciated and you'll be
able to see his handy brickwork when you come down.  There
was a Japanese film crew down filming for Outcrop Publishers
yesterday and they must have shot two hours of Joe Snow's saw
going back and forth.  Talk about Art films!  Joe Snow will
be heading back on Tuesday so if you see him in the airport
or on a plane tell him "Way to go, Joe Snow!"  We'll see you
again next year eh?

Shiverin' Sam brought down the final piece of our EverGoodLift
and that made hoisting the blocks up to the higher level waaaay
easier.

Snowprentice has just about completed the snowboards on the
rink and we'll be flooding soon if it doesn't snow again, and
the weather stays above twenty below.  She's also been running
between all the little things that we keep heaping on to her.

So many things to do I'll update you again later this week. 
Get ready out there yourself by marking this Friday on your
calendar with a snowflake!

Stay cool!
Snowking

For some reason the images aren't uploading today so I'll have
to get those up tomorrow!

What a week! (Feb19)

2007-02-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

What a week! (Feb19)

Everybody I've met these last few days has asked me the same question, "How's the castle?" and I'm starting to think that nobody cares about me! Boo Hooo hoo

We saw some serious snow flying around last week and the south wall of the courtyard is now done. We still have a lot of things to do before the opening on March 2nd but the strain has lightened up thanks to the arrival of alumnus Joe Snow. As soon as he got off the plane he rushed down to start working and as soon as he got his first block on the wall we had a little hooray for him (picture coming)
Snowbank Frank has cut in some more windows for the Royal Cafe and they're sure to throw you through a loop if you were accustomed to the old style of castle window. He has been showing me the "New School Way" as opposed to "Old School" which is the way I've done it for the last 11 years. Like an old dog, I'm reluctant to learn new tricks but if you were to ask me now, I'd say I'd like to enroll in the new school but would I have to be a "Frosh"?
Shiverin' Sam has been hard at work on Dead Man's Slide as well as getting our Ever Good Lift back up and running. In his enthusiasm he wanted to put his heart into it but settled for his finger-tip. So now he's wearing the evergood bandage on his hand. (Work safe all you builders!)
Poor Snowprentice is suffering from too many bosses, as she has been getting direction from all sides, but true to her form she's remained cool throughout.
We had to say goodbye to a very much appreciated piece of equipment. Our friends at Matrix Aviation Services (and great sponsors!) had lent us a Kubota tractor for over a month and a half and did we use it! (picture coming) Big thanks to Martin Knutsen for his tremendous support and if you see him around town slap him on the back and tell him "Right On" or something equally appreciative.
The next week will see us running our collective butts off so if you come down to visit maybe just walk around the outside and try to avoid interrupting us if you can. We want everything to be perfect for you so please let us get the work done. We'll be hard at it guaranteed!
Type at you next week friends, and stay cool.

your king,

Snowking

Tempers flaring amid temperatures falling

2007-02-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Feb. 12 2007

Well things are heating up down at the old castle, we've only got 18 days to go and we're starting to feel major pressure. The Dead man's slide has been worked on quite a bit lately with both Shiverin' Sam and Snowprentice working on it. Snowprentice has been giving it her perfectionist touch to the approval of Shiverin' Sam.

Meanwhile, Snowbank Frank's Royal Cafe is starting to look excellent. Snowbelle has been away for awhile getting her chompers re-arranged and her presence is missed what with her daily inspections.

Snowking has been splitting his time between trying to build and talking to the ever increasing hoards of visitors. It's difficult to not talk to folks because they see me and start smiling and talking no matter what I'm doing.

Hopefully this week's forecasted high temperatures will give our toes and noses a chance to stay warm.

We also look forward to seeing the return of Joe Snow this week.

'til next time stay cool

Feb 5 twenty five days till opening

2007-02-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Feb 5 twenty five days till opening.

well Fans of the snowblog will be happy to know that I haven't forgotten you we've just been really busy. the castle is starting to take shape but we're keeping the suspense up by not showing every thing thats done. we've had plywood hoarding up to keep the curious curious.

Aimou Muckpaloo an Inuit Elder returned again this year to build a traditional Igloo. He finished it and then some of his buddies came down and teased him about his roof, so he plans to fix that this week.
The roof of the cafe is completed and now Snowbank Frank is working on the smooth touch of it. people sure are curious about that and they can't get a good idea about the Dead mans slide yet either but don't worry friends you'll know in twenty five days. Shivering Sam has been released from his coffin making duties and is now poised to give his full focus on the slide.

The Snowprentice has been busy cutting blocks and she also has been working on a skating rink in preparation for the Snowking's Cup which will be a new pond hockey tournament this year. she is really making a cause for women in the workforce. She also brings the boys down some homemade goodies like cookies and squares to keep us happy!

we'll be hard at it for the next little while so please remember if you are visiting that we are working and don't want anybody to get hurt so please give us space.

hope you like what you see so far friends, stay cool

forty below you know

2007-01-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

Jan 15 2007

Snowking and Snowprentice lifting a big block!

Snowking and Snowprentice shifting a big block!

Snowking and Snowprentice placing a big block!

Well, another week has passed and the crew is hitting their stride.

We had some pretty cold weather last week with the temp hovering around -48 below on Friday night with the windchill factored in. Snowbank Frank, Shiverin' Sam and I tossed about twenty cubic yards of snow and with the wind blowing it just about everywhere. It felt like "Ice Station Zebra" or whatever it's called.

We recieved more visitors again this weekend, most notably a couple who were interested in getting married not in this year's castle but NEXT year's castle. Talk about advance planning eh! we're still trying to figure the plan for this year, for goodness sakes!

The Snow Flunkie clearing a path

The temperatures were so severe we froze and slightly broke our snowblower but luckily our favourite sponsors (of the last six or seven years) at Polar Tech sent down the rescue wagon right away and hauled ol "R2" to the shop for a thaw and repair. hopefully it's only a small repair needed. But just to let you know those guys at Polar Tech are GREAT GUYS and I strongly urge you to support a business who is definitely behind the community and our festival.

Trusty tools

We saw a lot of poorly dressed visitors who should have had at least hats on out at the site and once again if you visit...Dress Warm! The Snowking doesn't want to be the reason your ears went black and practically fell off.

We're hard at it again this week and hopefully your week is just as cool .

Eight weeks till opening...

2007-01-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

January 8 2007

Well, this was a very busy week which saw a lot of workers around the site.

Back again this year is the Snow Flunkie, who has been happily chipping snow when he has the time. We also saw a lot of new volunteer "Snobody Uno" who has been shadowing the Snowprentice and learning some snow skills from her. The two of these girls are Snowking approved!

Mr Freeze was also down and he's made an honest start on the stage while Snowbank Frank earned himself a pat on the back from Snowking for his innovative techniques and persevering, despite the Snowking's ever meddlesome hand.

This past week saw us take delivery of a tractor on loan from our good friends and sponsors at Matrix Aviation Solutions. Shiverin' Sam was pleased as punch to go round and round untill he got to shiverin'. His toes and nose froze same as his thumb but he can certainly throw the snow.
We also saw the ever lovely Snowbelle down at the site and she was takin' lots of photos of this week's action.
We got lots of visits from the Paparazzi this week.

Watch for a great piece from Adam "West" in the up coming Yellowknifer, he brought down Missy (his Gal) and she needs new boots. She almost froze her toes too!

Brent Reaney, that acclaimed photographer whose work can be seen on the Snowking website, was shooting some black and white for a dramatic upcoming photo exhibit. Look forward to that!

Lots of visitors coming down already even taking the taxi out to see us. Visitors should remember that temperatures are usually a bit colder on the lake due to the wind so please remember to dress warmly and stay cool.

Talk to you next week, friends.

snowy times already

2007-01-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

January 4th 2007
well the new year is apon us and people just keep coming out to see the castle, but they're all new to town and expect to see it completed already! Can you imagine?! But as you know it takes over two months to build the castle and we've only just begun.
Shivering Sam has started his stairway to the stars and eventually it'll be the launch pad for DEAD MAN'S SLIDE and already the insurance company that covers us is starting to bight their nails.The slide promises to be truly, wickedly, spectacular!
Over on the other side of the courtyard Snowbank Frank has begun to lay out the Royal Cafe. He's been quick to keep the king out of his hair but you know how it is when you're the proud overseer of a project, you just want to get in there and meddle but Snowking has every faith in his crew to do the best job! And Snowbank Frank is no amature as he's come back for his third year on the building crew.
Our newest crew member Snowprentice has been busy in the quarry cutting blocks, I think she'll work out fine just as soon as she catches her wind. ( she said the quarry burnt her out yesterday) She's keen to learn all about the magic that goes into the castle.
So far we've had visitors from Japan, Italy,Germany and tons from southern Canada all catching word of this snow-tacular creation. We welcome all visitors to come down to the lake to check out our progress or feel free to take a peek into the submissions section as Mr Freeze has been dropping lots of recent photos into the web site.
Don't forget if you or your organization want to become corporate sponsors in this event you can make a tax free donation. Check out how on the main page of the Snowking website.
Finally the crew was saddened by the untimely passing of one of the royal hounds (see photo on homepage) Poor Kirby the youngest of the canine crew has gone to the great snowpile in the sky and we'll miss him.
Hope everyone's new year is happy!

Hello, it’s Joe Snow here!

2006-12-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Dec 13 2006

Hello, it’s Joe Snow here. Well, I must say, I sure miss the north when it looks like we’re going to have a green Christmas way down here in southern Ontario (as usual?). I’ve been running around all across this vast country the last couple months, and I’ve hardly seen a flake of snow.

These last few weeks I’ve been slowly travelling back from the east coast, and it wasn’t until December, while camped on the Restigouche River on the northern border of New Brunswick, that I finally got some snow. Even then it melted the next day when it turned into rain.

Up in Quebec, I got a chance to visit the Snow Prentice, and we went out shopping for warm boots for her first season on the snow castle. Quebec City seems to be far enough north that there was some snow there, and we know they build a big castle there every year too. Maybe the Snow Prentice and I should have gone and spied on their castle to see how they do things, but I guess it’s still too early in the season.

What we did see that was pretty impressive was a great big slide that they build right in the city, right under the Chateau Frontenac. They build a wooden frame, and then fill it up with ice, so what they end up with is a slide about 150 metres long. It’s pretty steep, and they have special toboggans for it – maybe more like bobsleds. Apparently it’s REALLY fast.

There was one other thing that the Snow Prentice and I found in Quebec that we mailed to the Snowking. He might not have received the package yet, though, so I won’t ruin the surprise here.

Anyway, I’d better go – it’s really too warm for sitting around in the house. Maybe I’ll head down to the beach… If only it would snow!

Snowbelle's kicking my butt to keep blogging

2006-12-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

December 11,2006

Only twenty days left of this year and the Snowking Crew are getting psyched up for some Building.

Snowbank Frank, Shiverin' Sam and I spent yesterday afternoon blowing some snow around the site and we're almost one hundred percent sure how it's all going to come together. Almost!!

Mother Nature has been co-operating nicely with lots of snow being dumped on us on a regular basis. But Wally Wind seems intent on blowing it all down the bay, so, I cut some thin wafers of snow to build a small wall to catch the snow. I call this snow farming because the end result is a bunch of snow deposited in the quarry area that will be used for snow blocks. People always ask where we get our snow from and this is the snowbank that we make our withdrawls from.

I got an email from our Snowprentice and she was hanging out with Joe Snow not too long ago. She's said she'll be along shortly and luckily she has secured a place to stay that is handy to the site which will require no commute on the Snowball Express. Joe Snow has yet to check in but he did pass along his greetings via the Snowprentice. We expect to see him crawl out of his winter lair in the not too distant future. Hopefully everyone has a nice and safe holiday.

Remember that driving your snowmachine while drinking or at excessive speeds could lead to heartbreak or even headbreak. So STAY SAFE!

Great Slave Lake is Definitely Colder Than A Snowbank

2006-11-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

Snowbank Frank here! As promised, I am here to write the next blog...

The first think I have to tell you is that Great Slave Lake is Colder Than A Snowbank!

I took a swim. And swimming in the lake at this time of year is not the warmest thing to do! I was quite warm from cutting big slabs of ice out of the lake so I took a swim too cool off. At least that's my side of the story! Some may think otherwise but really, I was hot and needed to cool my bones! As an afterthought, it may have been safer if I had gone dipping in a snowbank as my name insists. I was just so excited to be pulling huge ice windows out of the lake!

It was very unsafe taking a dip in the chilly water. I tell you, it's not the time of year to be swimming. After pulling me out of the lake, the Snowking sent me home to get warm and put on some dry clothes. I don't live too far away so I was able to come back and finish the day!

Before and after my swim, we cut a lot of windows out of the ice on the lake. Way more than last year! And a few MONSTERS as well! Moving them around was quite the effort.

We have been blessed with a record amount of snow this November! All of that snow is very heavy and now we have a lot of overflow on the lake. Snowking was away for the past week so Shiverin' Sam (Old Man Winter's new name since he's not old and the name made him seem that way) and I had to do some emergency evacuations! We spent a good afternoon moving the windows to higher ice. Some of those windows wouldn't budge from being frozen in the overflow so it'll take some work with our trusty saws to get them out of there. Coincidentally, we ended up with the beginning of some nice pieces of ice-art!

Looking forward to the Snowking getting back so that we can nail down the floor plan. I want to get moving some more snow! We already made the first big quarry blocks. Very early to be doing that but there was SO MUCH SNOW these past few weeks that we had to take advantage of it!

Take 'er easy and hope for more snow!

Cheers,
Snowbank Frank

people sure are getting excited

2006-11-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

november 16

well as you may or may not know we've had a major dumping of snow these last few days and that has got every body excited. Where ever the Snowking goes there's somebody on the corner or in the coffee shop wondering if there's going to be a castle this year yes yes yes indeed is the answer!.
these past few days we've been busy cutting some ice panels to be used for our windows. The work is a little bit strenuous with all that sawing and be forwarned if Snowking or any of his crew offers to armwrestle for a beer you will lose! (unless you're some big body builder boy) Snowbank Frank has busily been cutting with me and has developed a new technique for keeping our spirits up. Henceforth we shall adress him as
"Swimming Snowbank Frank". he promised to type up the next blog and figgures he's got lots of good material to write about. Old Man Winter has also been down on the site throwing the snow all around and is pushig for me to nail down the floorplan so he can start his section of the project. He's also having a bit of an Identity crisis because his name suggests that he's so old. so we were wondering what his new name should be. How about Snowbilly? or else Wally Winter? come on folks help us out he's desperate for a new name! Also you may have noticed that our web site is looking way more professional and fabulous that's all due to the tremendous efforts of Snowbelle who's been checking on us regularly and is snapping lots of pics as well as some video or digital video whatever it's called. watch for that snow fans! and lastly there's a new section for you the citizenry of the Snowkingdom to submit your photos and stories check out the submissions file of the website and see if anybody you know has already beat you to it. We were mesuring 7 and a half inches of ice on Monday so it's coming along eh?

four inches of ice that's pretty nice

2006-11-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

November seven,
After a nice smooth freeze on Thursday night the ice was anxiously looked on by His Royal Highness. Starting Sunday Morning the king and Old Man Winter cut out twenty one panels from the ice. the guy at the coffee shop said he could see us working from his apartment tower which is over a mile away good eyes I said.
There is only four inches of Ice so far so you kids stay off the lake untill your Mom or Dad say it's OK also there's no Snow machines yet. which is good.
I expect the cutting to be good on the long Weekend when the cutting crew is bigger.

And the Snowblog begins...

2006-10-19T18:34:00.000-06:00

People always ask me why I do this and the answer is: because I can.

There is no better place to be in the world than Great Slave Lake when the sun is shining, the cold freezes the little hairs in your nose and the walls start rising up. It gives the satisfying feeling of creating something with what's been given to you and hopefully again this year we'll be blessed with lots of snow.

There's also the question of how we do it and my answer is always the same: if you want to build a castle, I'll tell you what it takes. You've got to get a shovel and round up all the flakes!

Throughout the season, I'll do my best to keep you updated on the proceedings. Watch for the return of seasoned builders Old Man Winter and Snowbank Frank. This year we're excited to be able to bring in our first female builder. That's right! Look forward to the debut of Snowprentice. She said she didn't want to be the snowprincess and we (the boys and me) said it was Snow-PRENTICE, not princess so she'll be worked pretty hard.

Watch for more at this blog! Stay cool!