So, just when you thought the Plymouth Ice Festival couldn't get any cooler, organizers announced the addition of Rail Jam, downtown Plymouth's first-ever ski and snowboard event, to the 29th annual festival's January 21-23 schedule.
The Otsego Club and Resort's "O Park" sets up a rail jam snow course featuring a wallride and several jibs at Plymouth's Ice Festival, inviting snowboarders and skiers to an open jam where they can show off their best moves.
Check out the O Park's site to see clips of rail jam action at the Gaylord club and its various rails, jibs, jumps, and halfpipes, as well as some footage of a rail jam the club organized in Birmingham, Michigan, this past summer. If those clips are any indication, it should be a lot of fun to watch the local skiers and snowboarders brave and talented enough to participate!
Check out the course and the competition on Saturday and Sunday during the three-day festival.
If that action isn't cutting edge enough for you, check out the festival's Dueling Chainsaws Speed Carving Show where competitors go head-to-head in 15-minute bouts to carve sculptures and the audience picks their favorites. Individual carvers compete on Saturday, and two-person teams face each other in speed chainsaw carving competition on Sunday.
There are plenty of other activities like a petting zoo and pony rides for families with young children, vendors with Michigan treats for a quick snack, along with ice carving demonstrations and displays throughout the festival.
For all of the activity and excitement the festival generates each year, the talent of the carvers and the more than 100 ice sculptures glistening in Plymouth's Kellogg Park by the end of the festival weekend are the still the real stars of the festival.
Check out my article previewing last year's Plymouth Ice Festival for a little history of the event and to see my photos of some of the 2009 carving action.
We've more often visited the festival late at night, after the day's scheduled events are over and thinner crowds make strolling among the lighted ice sculptures and taking photos much easier.
Plymouth Ice Festival visitors can view the Sculpture Garden around the clock during the three-day event. Activities, events and demonstrations are 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Sunday. Check out the festival web site for complete event and schedule information.
Want to learn more about the history of Plymouth, Michigan, and its quaint, historic downtown? Check out Plymouth (Then and Now: Michigan) by the Plymouth Historical Society.
© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved
Those ice sculptures are amazing and I know my kids would love to see the carving competition!
Posted by: Jen | January 24, 2011 at 08:55 AM
Jen-It was a fun...but cold...time this year. We were there again at night because I like taking photos then, and there was at least one carver working on a piece (hoping those pix turned out well!)
Posted by: Dominique King | January 24, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Wow! Amazing.. I saw some of this before on the tv. Great work.
Posted by: surfing | February 18, 2011 at 08:37 AM