People are slowing their steps outside the Stony Mountain Community Centre this winter, drawn to a completed hockey scene carved from packed snow.
LeSage’s snow sculpture of the Colosseum, the iconic ancient amphitheatre in Rome, Italy, is one of several international landmarks he has recreated
The large-scale sculpture, created by local artist Jordan LeSage from a 4-by-11-by-8-foot block of snow, has already begun attracting attention from residents passing through the area.
“It’s an impressive piece,” said Donna Tarashchuk, noting the number of people who have stopped to admire the finished work.
Now in his eighth year of snow sculpting, LeSage said creativity has always been part of who he is. As a student, art was one of his favourite outlets, though it took years — and a few unexpected influences — before he returned to it in a serious way.
Before beginning his full-time career with Manitoba Hydro, LeSage travelled frequently to Mexico and the Caribbean, where he encountered young artists making a living from their work.
“Not too many people my age do that (art) for a living,” he said. “That’s what really got me fired up about pursuing art again.”
That spark eventually followed him north to Gillam, where LeSage lived for several years. One winter, a neighbour built a snow sculpture, and LeSage asked to learn the basics. He soon put those skills to use when his father came to visit.
Despite frigid temperatures and less-than-ideal snow conditions, the pair packed snow bricks using cardboard boxes and carved a snowman standing more than five feet tall.
“It turned out to be the most perfect snowman after carving,” LeSage said. “We received a ton of compliments, and that made me wonder — what more can I create?”
Since then, LeSage has carved one sculpture each winter, including a polar bear, a sphinx, an Easter Island head, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal and the Eiffel Tower. After moving back to Stony Mountain this past summer to be closer to family, he felt the pull to carve again — this time at home.
With approval from the town, LeSage chose the Stony Mountain Community Centre as his canvas, citing both its steady foot traffic and the shelter it provides from direct sunlight.
“It is the absolute perfect space,” he said.
Unlike previous projects that focused on architectural forms, this year’s sculpture marks a shift. LeSage challenged himself to carve a scene — a hockey moment frozen in time — rather than a standalone structure.
The project took about three weeks to complete, including roughly 16 hours of shovelling and packing snow by hand and another 16 hours of carving once the design was finalized. Planning alone, he said, typically takes about 10 hours.
To build the sculpture, LeSage constructs a large wooden box, shovels in snow one foot at a time, jumps inside to pack it down, allows it to freeze, and repeats the process until the form is solid. Once complete, he removes the lumber and begins carving.
After stencilling the design, he uses a machete and drywall tools to shape the piece layer by layer. Mostly self-taught, LeSage said there is no single
