The ice formation, viewed from behind. Above it is one of the four towers that sprays water to create the structure.

A European-style castle is being built a few steps away from my office. The building materials? The reddish brown water from the Duluth-Superior Harbor.

From the four blog posts I wrote last winter, you may recall “Ice Man” Roger Hanson’s adventures trying to build a world-record ice sculpture on Barker’s Island in Superior, Wis. (To read the posts, type “Roger Hanson” into the search box on my blog.)

Let’s just say he learned a lot from that experience, and is at it again. Roger has a contract with the City of Superior to provide ice sculptures as a tourism attraction for three winters, and this is his second.

Last year, Roger was going for height, but a February thaw and shifting ground toppled his world-record attempt. This year, he’s going for width and mass. Plus he has a heckofa large supporting ice base on his formation that looks like it might not melt until July.

Roger builds his creations with the help of towers that periodically spray water he pumps from the harbor. He controls the actions of the towers through a computer set-up he has in the trailer he lives in near the sculpture.

He plans to spray a ninety-foot-wide, seventy-foot tall, eight million-pound structure, complete with castle turrets and a doorway in the middle.

He had one small set-back a few days ago when high winds blew apart part of the formation. Roger has since recovered, and the structure is now sturdy and thick enough that winds should not be an issue. But it’s an El Nino winter, which typically means warmer temperatures for this area. The weather has been cold enough lately for ice formation. Who knows what the rest of the winter may hold?

The Lake Superior Ice Project came crashing down on Tues., Feb. 3 at 10:06 a.m.

An attempt at a world-record-tall ice sculpture came crashing down a few days ago on Barker’s Island in Superior, Wis. Of all times – it happened right when the “sculptor,” Roger Hanson, was being interviewed and photographed by the New York Times. In fact, because Roger is hard-of-hearing, the reporter had to alert him that something was amiss. Roger turned around from the interview just in time to see his creation fall in upon itself.

What his creation looked like before the collapse was a point of discussion between me and my office mates, who work in a nearby building. Before the crash, it rose 66 feet and had wing-like protrusions coming off either side (see my previous blog posting for photos). It struck me as vaguely menacing, so I called it the “ice wraith.” Others thought of it more benevolently and called it a “sentinel” – they thought it was guarding the estuary and harbor. Others called it a “blob.” Calling it a “sculpture” like the news stories do, just seems wrong. It is a creation, but it’s not like Roger is carving it. He’s squirting it.

Well, it’s clear that it is a pile now.

The crash is blamed on a thaw we had a while back. Although the temperatures dropped again enough for ice formation, I suppose the structure got brittle at that point. Roger started adding more water to the top of it instead of making it wider. Even to my unschooled ice sculpture eyes, it seemed precarious – like it needed more width instead of height. (But I speak from the benefit of hindsight.)

Although some are rejoicing at the crash of this hubristic endeavor, others in the community are upset. The project was drawing a crowd and even sported a gyros stand, and people seemed to enjoy watching the progress. Roger is such an earnest man, you can’t help but feel sorry for him. The city of Superior planned light and music shows, presentations, and even a fireworks display around the project for the next three weekends. (Feb 14, 21 and 28 at 6, 7, and 8 p.m.)

After the crash, the big questions were whether to build again and whether to hold the celebratory events. The answer? YES! Roger says he is going to rebuild, and has already started doing so upon the pile that was once his “sculpture.”

Poor Superior always seems the underdog next to the more populous and tourist-friendly Duluth across the bridge. This is yet another example of how the city just can’t win. But perhaps it’s also an example of perseverance and making lemonade out of lemons.

In my first blog entry about this project, I asked, “What could possibly go wrong?” Well, now we know! But at least nobody got hurt. And it makes for a good story. And looking at an ice pile IS sort of interesting. Especially when it’s lit up at night. (Grin.)

The weather continues to cooperate for the Lake Superior Ice Project on Barker’s Island in Superior, Wis. “Ice Man” Roger Hanson from Big Lake, Minn., has added a third tier to the formation and it now stands about 52 feet tall and 20-something feet wide.

Roger had some troubles previously with the formation leaning due to the soft ground it’s built on and the prevailing winds, but he has since adjusted for that. Roger lives in that little trailer you can see in the side-view photo of formation. I don’t envy him. Barker’s Island is a desolate place in winter. No trees block the wind coming off frozen Lake Superior and the comforts of the mainland, although in view, might as well be miles away.

For more information, please see my two previous posts (1) (2) on this topic.

A side view of the formation, along with the spraying apparatus and Roger’s trailer home.