Local artist Jack Jensen will lead Saskatchewan's snow-sculpting team at this year's national competition at the Winterlude Festival in Gatineau, Que., this week.
Jensen, along with Saskatoon sculptor Darren Gowan and Regina-based Bob Friedrich, will have 54 hours to turn a block of snow 16-feet high, 12-feet wide and 12-feet deep into a piece titled "Toboggan Hill." It will feature three people riding a toboggan, with a dog chasing after them.
The piece was designed by Jensen to fit into this year's theme of winter fun.
"It's something I think everybody could think back to, and everybody's experienced tobogganing," said Jensen in a telephone interview from Saskatoon, where he was scheduled to catch the 7:30 a.m. flight to Ottawa today.
The children's scarves will be blowing in the wind to give it the illusion of speed - something not easy to do with snow as they will have to be supported on both sides.
While Jensen, known for his work in paper casting, has done snow sculptures starting with the first Winter Festival competition, this is his first time working in a national competition and on such a large scale.
"We're just going to go and do our best, and I think we've got a very good topic to work with," he said, adding he intends to increase the sculpture's height by two feet. "I think it's going to be a real learning experience and it's going to be a lot of work, but a fun experience as well."
He's been planning the sculpture for weeks, including drawings of the design and physical workouts to get ready for the minimum 40 hours of work.
"There's quite a bit of upper body strength you need for the sawing and the shovelling."
The National Capital Commission organizes the festival and invites 13 teams from across the country - one from each province and one from the territories - to compete.
The competition runs from Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with the exception of Saturday when sculptors must finish by noon.
