Ice castle sparkles on Echo Lake
A Saskatchewan family’s tradition of building an ice castle in their cabin’s backyard at Echo Lake continued this year.
Sean Frisky said the castle is not an annual project due to its labour-intensive nature, but he’s built them since 2012. Each one is unique and part of how his family embraces winter.
“I think if you live in Saskatchewan, you need to find things to do in Saskatchewan,” Frisky said. “So, we snowmobile, we downhill ski and we hang out at the lake here and the kids skate and we’ve got the ice castle.”
(L to R) Samantha Silverthorn, Colleen Silverthorn, Sean Frisky, Allie Silverthorn and Sydney Silverthorn sit by the fire in their ice castle at Echo Lake. (Alison MacKinnon/CTV News Regina)
With an abundance of ice to choose from, Frisky teams up with some of his neighbours, employees and friends to harvest the ice for the building.
“We have this big medieval saw, we have it cut straight through the ice and we end up with essentially 12 inch by 12 inch logs and they float. So, then we use a four-wheeler to drag them out,” Frisky said. “This year we went from old school labor to actually using a little loader little skid steer to build the structure.”
In order to make sure the castle lasts through the winter, Frisky needs the ice to be between 10 and 13 inches thick.
When the castle is up and running, his family is able to sit around a campfire or have a drink at the ice bar.
The castle usually lasts until March, when the sun melts it all away.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Documents reveal Canada praised Haitian sanctioned over alleged gangland connections
A Canadian diplomat and an RCMP officer heaped praise and gratitude on a sanctioned Haitian businessman that Global Affairs accuses of gangland connections, after he allowed a helicopter airlift of Canadian citizens and police at his luxury golf course last month, emails provided by his lawyers suggest.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Minister said 'hundreds' of Canadians might use Gaza visa. More than 7,500 applied.
An immigration lawyer in Toronto says new figures from the federal government show just how 'grudging' Ottawa's efforts have been to rescue Canadians' family members from the war in the Gaza Strip.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.