{"id":259365,"date":"2025-12-24T09:52:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T16:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/?p=259365"},"modified":"2026-01-05T10:54:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T17:54:42","slug":"how-to-win-the-butte-ice-carving-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/12\/24\/how-to-win-the-butte-ice-carving-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to win the Butte ice-carving competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
A block of ice waits to be carved on Montana Street in Butte.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Marci Dunmire straightens her block of ice to prepare for carving it into an astronaut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Oliver Blanchard and Carter Christensen work together scraping their design into the ice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On sidewalks across Uptown Butte the sun shimmers through translucent three-foot-tall blocks of ice. Business owners, teachers, construction managers and other ice artists ready their chisels and saws. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next six hours, 33 teams of people from Butte, Libby, Anaconda and Belgrade will chip, shave and ultimately transform the melting rectangles into glistening sculptures. It\u2019s Dec. 14 and I\u2019m here, camera in hand, because I wanted to capture it all for you before the sun melted the sculptures away. Along the way I thought I might also pick up some tips \u2014 for future contestants, like maybe even yours truly \u2014 on how to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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John Blanchard\u2019s chisels and saws sit on a table next to his block of ice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since the annual carving contest began 25 years ago, Butte has seen all types of animals, Santas and even a Marilyn Monroe disqualified for being \u201ctoo risque.\u201d Aside from family-friendly aesthetics, the rules<\/a> are pretty straightforward. Teams of up to two people are allowed to use approved hand tools \u2014 as in nothing mechanical or electric \u2014 to carve whatever they want, however they want, so long as they do \u201cnot add elements that were not a part of the original ice block.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTorches can be used for finishing touches ONLY and may not be used to aid in the carving of sculptures,\u201d according to the rules.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teams are judged in three categories: the master class, which includes previous grand prize winners; beginners, which includes anyone with up to three years of carving experience; and the adult class, meaning everyone else of any age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Early in the competition, carvers often chip away large pieces of ice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Melanie Mangione and Chris Berryhill, two professional ice carvers who served as this year\u2019s judges along with local business owner Carrie Fisher, great carvers think about the block from every angle: as a three-dimensional sculpture, not just a two-dimensional image. Most of the blocks are displayed on the sidewalk for that purpose, so onlookers can move around the ice. Judges look for form, craftsmanship and symmetry, and how much is taken away, repurposed or reused. But as with every powerful piece of art, it most importantly comes down to feeling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you’re doing ice, one of the best things you can do for a piece is consider a moment in time, right, something that is natural, that evokes emotion or motion,\u201d Mangione, a former Butte Grand Champion winner, told me as she snapped photos of a sculpture to reference in judging later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, like a fish swimming in a sculpture is going to be more appealing than if somebody does a house, because, you know, a house is static,\u201d Berryhill, Mangione\u2019s teammate, added while trying to wrangle their excited cattledog. \u201cIt’s always going to be the same, but the fish is a moment in time, so it’s actually, you know, caught in a movement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, there is no single way to ensure you get a medal. Even the masters profess vastly different approaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rachael Marjamaa adds the final touches to her sculpture with Corey Anderson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Frank Hall works on the leg of his abominable snowman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Frank Hall, a graphic designer who has placed as Grand Champion multiple times, starts out by picking his design, printing the image as a reference and scratching a rough outline on the ice before carving. With higher than normal temperatures this year he decided to go with a more stable, less advanced design \u2014 an abominable snowman reaching for a star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was already in there,\u201d said Hall, who has been carving ice since the competition’s inception. \u201cI just got rid of everything else.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justin DiShazo, who has also won multiple times, waits for inspiration to strike when he arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI get up here. I look at the ice,\u201d said DiShazo, a painter by trade. \u201cAnd sometimes I’ll just be able to see what’s there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He used to plan more, but \u201cevery time I planned, it never worked out, and always was terrible, and I would hate the result,\u201d he said while chipping away at the bottom of his sculpture. \u201cNow I just try to show up and do a good job and hope that people dig it.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Justin DiShazo cleans up the scales on his ouroboros.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This year he saw an ouroboros\u2014 a snake devouring its tail, a symbol of infinity. To get a more realistic snake look, DiShazo used a sponge to smooth half of the creature and a chisel to make scale-like indentations on the other half. One thing DiShazo does especially well is create delicate pieces with different textures and fine details. The judges like that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis piece was essentially the most delicate, the most challenging, because he had a very fine sculpture within it with those big holes,\u201d said Mangione, the judge. \u201cNot only that, but the circumference, the diameter of each snake as it continued through the body, was regular. It wasn’t lumpy \u2026 We really liked the stylization of the head and the fine detail that he put in the scales for, like, the top of the body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That commitment to detail earned DiShazo the grand champion prize: $500, a trophy and vouchers to spend at businesses in Uptown Butte. (First and second place also receive these vouchers.) While DiShazo retained his crown for another year, John Blanchard and Cody Powell, who carved a vulture and placed first in the adult category, were hot on his tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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John Blanchard adds the final touches to his vulture sculpture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Luca Mele works on his pickax sculpture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey came very, very close to winning grand champion,\u201d Mangione said. \u201cHe’s only been carving a couple years, so I expect he’ll bump up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DiShazo insisted that it\u2019s not about winning, but spending a day outside, creating something temporary to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs time passes and weather fluctuates, it melts, and it gets this really sort of beautiful sheen,\u201d DiShazo said. \u201cPeople can appreciate it and all the different stages as it disappears. And if that’s not a testament to the human experience \u2014 let’s just appreciate things as they disappear.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melanie Mangione studies Justin DiShazo\u2019s ouroboros.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A block of ice waits to be carved on Montana Street in Butte.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Water drips off Steve Mercia\u2019s sculpture \u201cI love you\u201d in American Sign Language as temperatures rise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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