Fairbanks, Alaska is the capital of ice art in the world and home to the World Ice Art Championships. Many top ice artists in the world make Fairbanks their home.
The Aurora Ice Museum was built as a way to boost tourism at Chena Hot Springs Resort, located 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks while simultaneously offering year-round employment for Steve Brice 15 time world ice carving champion and wife Heather Brice six time world ice carving champion.
Chena Hot Springs erected the first version of the Aurora Ice Hotel ( renamed the Aurora Ice Museum in January, 2004). The Ice Hotel was the first of its kind in the United States, and one of just a handful worldwide. The museum features a gallery and ice bar, overhead chandeliers made of individually carved ice crystals which change color every six seconds mimicking the northern lights, countless sculptures including a gigantic chess set, life sized jousting knights, an ice fireplace and four galleries with varying themes. Due to issues with the fire marshal, the Aurora team are not allowed to advertise the availability of bedrooms... however, they exist and you should ask at reception for use. Inside the hotel there are 4 ice galleries- one is an igloo with skylight, one has a polar bear bed and one has a four poster... each one is different, each one is special.
The architect of most of the art is 15 time World Ice Art Champion Steve Brice and his wife, Heather, a six time World Ice Art Champion.
While long daylight hours and summer temperatures in the 90º F range melted the first Aurora Ice Hotel in July, 2004, the project was not abandoned. The second version was completed in January, 2005, with the ambitious goal of making it the only primarily ice structure in the world to stay up on a year round basis.
Because of the high cost of electric power at the site (30¢ per kWh) it was decided to use an absorption chiller design by Energy Concepts Co. and powered by the available geothermal resource to keep the Museum ‘on ice’ year-round.
This chiller was a unique, three pressure design and the first of it’s kind to be built in the world. In September 2005, Chena Hot Springs won an award for the absorption chiller from the Geothermal Resource Council for the best new direct use geothermal project in the United States.
The Ice Museum has been a resounding success, with more than 10,000 visitors touring it each summer. The structure has withstood high temperatures well into the 90º F range during Fairbanks' hot summer months.
Presented By:
Rawhide Travel & Tours Inc
6008 W Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, AZ 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
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