NL·Video

This frozen sculpture took 15 ice blocks, 17 hours and a lot of coffee

Steve and Jonathan Watson of St. John's took their chainsaws to 15 blocks of ice over the weekend, working to create an ice sculpture as part of the National Ice Carving Championship.

Sculpture stands close to 10 feet tall

N.L. duo creates giant ice sculpture for national competition

3 years ago
Duration 1:59
The CBC's Troy Turner speaks with Steve and Jonathan Watson in Corner Brook, where they created a Newfoundland and Labrador-inspired ice sculpture for the National Ice Carving Championships.

This weekend's winter weather brought icy conditions to Newfoundland's west coast, but rather than carving out their driveways, Steve and Jonathan Watson were busy with a different kind of ice cutting.

The father-son duo from St. John's took their chainsaws to 15 blocks of ice over the weekend, working to create an ice sculpture as part of the National Ice Carving Championship. The pair have created ice sculptures for years but say this was a different kind of beast.

"You're looking at something that's only about an 8½-by-11 sheet of paper, and then all of a sudden as we're going through the day on Saturday, we're putting the very top piece on the iceberg, thinking, 'What have we gotten ourselves into?'" Jonathan told CBC News on Monday.

"It was certainly a challenge, that's for sure," Steve added.

The sculpture stands close to 10 feet tall and features Newfoundland and Labrador elements — the Qalipu First Nation, a jumping fish and an oil platform — while incorporating the mandatory Olympic and Paralympic Games theme by focusing on unity.

"We really love our province of Newfoundland and Labrador, so that's where you're kind of seeing that reflection throughout that," Jonathan said.

Have a look at their handiwork in the video above.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

With files from Troy Turner and The St. John's Morning Show