The Village of Lake George is normally a sleepy place during the winter months. But soon, a new frozen attraction will light up the southern Adirondack community.
Head into Lake George Village in January, and state Route 9 is lined with snow, not motorcycles or beachgoers.
But today, there’s an active construction site at Charles R. Wood Park, where workers are building an icy fortress.
Brad Beuhlhorn is Event Manager for Ice Castles, which operates similar structures in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah and Wisconsin.
He points to the towering walls made of giant icicles.
“I think the thing that sets us apart from some of the other ice castles that I’ve seen, or ice forts, is…we use naturally-formed ice, as opposed to pre-cut brick-and-mortar and build the walls up like that, and I think it makes for a much more impressive feel.”
An igloo, this is not. Ice Castles actually farms the icicles. They’re formed hanging from a steel grid.
“So we’ll grow icicles overnight by spraying with our sprinkler system. The next morning we hand-harvest thousands of icicles, right around 2-3 feet in length. And then we hand-place them throughout the castle, and you can see how they start to capture the water overnight and build up and start to thicken, which forms the base for our walls,” said Beuhlhorn.
“So hang on a second,” I ask. “So you’re building like a frame for a castle with icicles that you grow, and then they’re added to…would you spray water on it? How does it work?”
“We use a slush mixture with snow and water and it acts as a mortar, and we just mortar them into place,” says Beuhlhorn. “It only takes…a few seconds to place to each icicle and then we spray overnight, and the water accumulates on the icicle, helping it to grow. And then we repeat that process over and over. At the end of the season, we will have placed over 500,000 icicles by hand.”
We walk through the under-construction castle with hardhats and spikes – the paths will be smoothed out and helmets won’t be required when the attraction opens for the public.
Beuhlhorn points out huge formations, some made using what looks like a giant balloon that is removed once the ice is in place to create a hollow shape. There is also a maze and three slides. As workers smooth the walls on the inside of one slide, Beuhlhorn shows me the electrical wiring that will make the castle glow several different colors.
“And we’ll light this through the top and we’ll run lights all the way underneath, so the slide will be lit from above and below, and we’ll finish this off with a series of ice blocks through the top…and carve it out so you can race your friends,” says Beuhlhorn.
Ice Castles was established in 2011. The icicle-based construction method was developed by company founder Brent Christensen after he wanted to build a backyard playground for his kids.
Local officials are excited for the icy construction.
“We believe that it’s a game-changer for Lake George.”
Bob Blais has been village mayor for more than 50 years.
“We believe that if he’s successful this year and signs a contract to come back again in the future, that it will certainly turn all the lights on in Lake George Village. There’s certainly a lot more on now than there were five years ago or 10 years ago. But instead of being a summer resort, we’re gonna be known as a year-round destination,” said Blais.
Gina Mintzer, Executive Director of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, says the attraction will help showcase the hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that are open all year.
This year marks the second year of the Lake George Area Winterfest, a promotion for area attractions where guests can purchase a wristband and take part in activities like snow tubing and horse drawn sleigh rides at no extra cost. 2022 also marks the 60th year of the Lake George Winter Carnival in February.
Mintzer hopes the addition of Ice Castles will bring more visitors to the region.
“You know, we have enjoyed a lot of winter activities but this brings a whole ‘nother level in terms of…how it begins now and may stay as late as the end of February, maybe into early March, depending on weather,” said Mintzer.
For more information visit: https://icecastles.com/
