Building A Palace Of Ice – Don’t Miss The 118th Annual Saranac Lake ‘Groovy 60s’ Ice Castle

The Adirondacks are a goldmine of activity year-round, but when winter hits there are some unique possibilities that descend on the mountains along with the snow. For the 118th year straight on February 10th, locals will be huddling together to kick off 10 days of Winter Carnival fun on Saranac Lake culminating with the building of the 2015 'Groovy 60s' ice castle.

Just like in Disney's Frozen, thousands of 600lb blocks of ice (each the weight of a grand piano) are cut from the lake and used to raise this mammoth structure by nothing but volunteers using both ancient and modern technology. Here's a taste of what this spectacle is like...

But what happens to the palace when the carnival disbands and everyone heads back to their fireplaces? (I'm sure the castle would gradually become a safety hazard as it melts, but it still has to give a twinge or two to those that built it to see it crash down...)