Après-ski at a full size ice bar this winter at this Alberta resort
This full-sized bar made entirely of carved ice sits on the ski hill ready for people to enjoy all season long. The Weather Network's Connor O'Donovan visits Lake Louise Ski Resort to see the frozen venue.
Ever take your après-ski to a full-size ice bar? Well, you have a chance this winter at Lake Louise Ski Resort!
Over a week-and-a-half in mid-December, a team of the top ice carvers in Canada gathered to transform 41,000 kg of tailor-made clear ice into a cryospheric cocktail bar complete with tables, chairs, stools and more.
Even the cocktail glasses are made of ice!
“We’ve built bars before on our decks, but this takes things to a whole different level,” said ice carver and Lake Louise Ski Resort Hospitality Director Bradley Froehlich.
Lake Louise Ski resort Hospitality Director Bradley Froehlich, who has been ice carving since he was a teenager, helped lead the build. (Connor O’Donovan/The Weather Network)
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The clear ice is made by a specialized ice maker using a process called directional freezing, which freezes water from the bottom up, allowing impurities and air to be pushed to the top. Any opaque or white ice can then be shaved from the clear block below.
In addition to the frozen furniture, skiers and riders will find an ice-carved snowboarder, skier, bears and more. (Connor O'Donovan/The Weather Network)
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More than 300 individual blocks were shipped via truck from a manufacturer in Vancouver, and chiseled into this functional work of art with chainsaws, grinders, chisels, brushes and other specialized tools.
Froehlich hopes the bar, which stands just next to the Glacier Express chair, will last until at least the start of March, weather permitting.
“We’ll inspect it every day to make sure it’s safe for the guests, and then take it down when we feel it’s getting a little too thin.”
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