TEAM TENACIOUS: SNOW SCULPTING

Background

• Established: 2008
• Members: Ryan Olszowy,  Morrice, MI // Max Dehtiar,  Midland, MI // Luke Dehtiar, Rockford, MI
• Competitions: State of Michigan Snow Sculpting Championships (Frankenmuth, MI), U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championships (Lake Geneva, WI)
• Ergodyne Gear: ProFlex Thermal Series Gloves (818WP and 819WP), CORE Performance Work Wear

What The Team Does and Where It Does It

They compete in state and national snow sculpting competitions and make awesome works of art out of massive eight-ton blocks of snow using only hand tools, and regardless of temperature.

Teams are given 62 - 72 hours (depending on the competition) to complete a sculpture, regardless of temperature and weather. In that three day period, work days are 16 - 18 hours long on a 10’x 6’x 6’ block (up to eight tons) of snow. Sleep is limited to 4-6 hours/night (all in the same room). The days consist of going up and down ladders, chipping, sawing, scraping and moving hundreds of pounds of snow & ice.  Pulling an all-nighter prior to completion is also typical. A 28-30 hour shift with minimal downtime?  That’s tenacious.

Why They Do What They Do

We snow sculpt for the pride in out working our competition and the love of the event.  We also like to show the rest of the world that three artistically challenged engineers can outwork, out think, over complicate and out design any unsuspecting self-proclaimed sculptor.

We like winning – it is our true motivation. I truly mean that – because bearing the elements, being tired and sore from head to toe and having to take vacation time from work to do it, is completely insane.  Winning makes it all worth it! Or, maybe we just like getting away for a few days to play in the snow.

How Did You and/or Your Team Get Started Doing This?

The team met each other while working on these pieces of art and continue their friendship through preparing and competing in these events.  Two years ago we heard about the snow sculpting championships in Frankenmuth and decided to showcase our knowledge, MTU know-how & unwavering childlike desire to play in the snow. 

• January 2008, we placed 1st in the State of Michigan Snow Carving Championship, held in Frankenmuth Michigan. By doing so we qualified to represent the state of Michigan in the US National Snow Carving Championship as "Team Michigan".
• January 2009, we placed 2nd in the State of Michigan Snow Carving Championship, held in Frankenmuth Michigan.
• February 2009, we placed 1st in the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition, held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and our sculpture was awarded the People’s Choice Award. By doing so we qualified to defend our sculpting title at the 2010 US National Snow Carving Championship as "Team Michigan".
• Additionally we have qualified for an invitation to International competitions held at a sanctioned event in Finland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, Norway or Russia.

What They Like About It

We spend months preparing for a few days worth of effort and we enjoy it very much.

There is an extreme amount of insight needed to foresee problems and setbacks in the design months before even touching a block of snow.  We work through the processes in our heads over and over to develop new tools and processes that we might implement in order to create our artwork.  We are three engineers that channel their passion and ability into preparing for and performing in these events.  It is a wonderful hobby for us.

How Ergodyne's Sponsorship Helps

 "We personally can’t say enough about Ergodyne’s ProFlex waterproof insulated gloves. They are durable, strong and hold up their end of the commitment. We punished these gloves. We rotated between two pair over four days and they still look new. They kept our hands dry and warm for eight hours shifts for four straight days. They aren’t bulky and allowed good dexterity. We were able to keep them on when doing the most intricate details in our artwork. There are times when we use slush to repair portions of the sculpture, and the gloves keep our hands warm and dry even after being repeatedly submerged in slushy water. 

"There is no time for wet gloves or wet clothing. If we begin to sweat, the cold begins to creep in and we get cold, then we suffer for hours until we get back to the hotel.  If the insides of our gloves get wet, we pray they dry in the few hours we are asleep. We are on an unforgiving and relentless schedule. There is no time to fuss with equipment and clothing.

"We took second place in our state competition this January because we needed two more hours’ time to complete our tasks.  We rely on our equipment and clothing to hold up its end of the bargain. We have had gloves in the past that claim to be waterproof and initially they are. Then we grab an axe, hatchet, and a machete and demolish a block of snow.  Doesn’t take more than a few hours and the seams are leaking, the palms are torn and the fingers are splitting open.

"The CORE base layers and mid layers were also as advertised.  We each put on a couple layers and none of us complained of being cold or wet. The mid-layers fleece was by far our favorite of the products. I had so much faith in the product after one day, I didn’t bother to where my winter jacket out to work. And, the anti-stink feature is much appreciated when we’re all sharing a hotel room. With a thermal layer, a loose fitting all season layer and a mid layer fleece I put in an active eight hour shift with the temperatures in the low 30’s. We could not have been more impressed. Without Ergodyne’s products, we would not be able to work as long, as hard, or as efficiently as we do.”