Internationally-acclaimed ice carvers create Ice Land at Moody Gardens

GALVESTON, Texas – A team of internationally-acclaimed Chinese ice carvers arrived in Galveston on Friday to create ICE LAND: Pole-to-Pole at Moody Gardens.

The CAA Ruijing Ice Carving Team, a team of 25 carvers, will spend six weeks sculpting 300-pound blocks of colored ice into works of art. The exhibit is expected to open Nov. 17.

This year's theme is based on a trip from the North Pole to the South Pole.

The carvers are creating a slide, polar bears, penguins, humpback whales, snowy owls, walruses and reindeer. The exhibit will be hand-carved out of 2 million pounds of ice inside a 28,000-square-foot insulated tent structure chilled and maintained at 9 degrees.

Shiver’s Ice Bar will return to ICE LAND this year.

“The ice-carving team creates something unique and spectacular every year,” said John Zendt, Moody Gardens President and CEO. “Guests will marvel with new surprises as they see the amazing talent and dedication that goes into creating ICE LAND.”

ICE LAND: Pole-to-Pole is the only ice sculpture exhibition on the Gulf Coast and will be open through Jan. 6.

The carving team is led by chief ice- and snow-carving artist Qui Guanghui. He has received top honors in numerous international tournaments, including the Harbin International Ice and Snow Carving and the Chinese National Ice Carving Competition.