Yellowknife realtor Shane Clark has given many house tours during his years in the real estate business.
On Saturday, though, Clark led visitors on what could only be described as a SA国际影视传媒榬oyal tourSA国际影视传媒� throughout a grand estate currently under construction that left everyone in awe as they wandered through the premises.
SA国际影视传媒淭he premium features are lots of natural light and friendly construction materials. And at 20,000 square feet, youSA国际影视传媒檙e looking at a small mall,SA国际影视传媒� Clark said of the intricate structure.
SA国际影视传媒淥ne of the jokes I use on the tour is, SA国际影视传媒榃e must sell by spring,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� Clark laughed.
And while ClarkSA国际影视传媒檚 remark gives everyone a good chuckle during the tour, the Snow KingSA国际影视传媒檚 beloved ice castle sitting majestically on Yellowknife Bay is definitely not for sale.
Inner sanctum
Three times a week until its completion at the end of February, $10-per-person tours are being held to give people an inside glimpse of the work involved in building the Snow KingSA国际影视传媒檚 annual pride and joy.
Clark said local people and those from around the world have visited the unique ice castle and all are impressed by the ice-age architecture.
SA国际影视传媒淲hat the festival has found over the years is that thereSA国际影视传媒檚 interest in how to build a snow castle.
SA国际影视传媒淎lready with just two tours, weSA国际影视传媒檝e had people from France; Korea; all over Canada: Toronto, Vancouver, Provost in Alberta; and then also from the (United) States.
SA国际影视传媒淭heySA国际影视传媒檙e in awe of how itSA国际影视传媒檚 constructed, and theySA国际影视传媒檙e surprised about how much theySA国际影视传媒檝e learned on the construction tour,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
SA国际影视传媒淓ven if youSA国际影视传媒檝e been to the castle 15 times and you come on the tour, there are things that youSA国际影视传媒檙e going to learn that you had no idea,SA国际影视传媒� Clark said of the beehive of activity that happens before the ornate wooden doors are opened for the waiting crowd during the Snow King Festival in March.
Tools of the trade
Most often, Clark said people are impressed by how the walls are poured, and seeing the multiple, unique tools that have been created over the last three decades to build the mighty structure.
SA国际影视传媒淎nd thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a number (of the tools) that I point out along the way SA国际影视传媒� thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of the chisels that the handles are either part of a broken-down canoe paddle, to the shaft of a hockey stick,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
Another such tool where necessity was the mother of invention is what Clark said was a spinoff of the name Frankenstein.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a SA国际影视传媒楩ranken-saw,SA国际影视传媒� which is this 27-inch radius blade that is gas powered, and that is whatSA国际影视传媒檚 used to cut ice blocks in the lake.SA国际影视传媒�
Decades of castles
From humble beginnings in the 1990s, the Snow King, aka Tony Foliot, and his ever-expanding band of merry castle makers have delighted people with the annual building of a one-of-a-kind castle on Yellowknife Bay amid an array of houseboats, airplanes, an ice road, and people enjoying the winter season.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 evolved over the years with more snow and different ways of creating the snow walls from a pile of snow and then cutting snow blocks to now where you can see the Bobcat and the snow blower push that snow 20 feet in the air,SA国际影视传媒� said Clark.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檝e got the tallest walls of any castle this year SA国际影视传媒� an extra four or five feet taller than the walls have been in the past. So thatSA国际影视传媒檚 exciting.SA国际影视传媒�
The XXIX Snow King Festival runs March 2-29.
SA国际影视传媒擝y Jill Westerman
