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MIDWAY — After seven successful seasons, the iconic Midway Ice Castle is back and scheduled to open for the season at the end of December.
Ice Castles LLC was started in 2009 by local owner Ryan Davis and ice artist Brent Christensen. Christensen tried to build an ice cave in his backyard with his daughter and developed the method of freezing the water layer by layer that is now used to build the ice castles.
With the help of a team of 10-20 ice artists, the ice castle is fashioned with towers, archways, tunnels and slides. The walls of the structure are about 10 feet thick and each ice castle weighs about 25 million pounds, according to the Ice Castle website. It typically takes a month to construct.
One of the most popular features of the Ice Castle is the evening light show where thousands of LED lights embedded in the ice coordinate with music.
The Midway Ice Castle was first created at the Zermatt & Homestead Resort and was moved to the Midway town square in 2014. Due to the growing number of visitors, the attraction was again moved for the 2015-2016 season and can now be visited at Soldier Hollow.
The "Frozen"-esque structures have grown in popularity, and Christensen and Davis now build them around the U.S. and Canada. Along with the Midway location, ice castles can be found this winter in Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Lincoln, New Hampshire; and Edmonton, Alberta.
"All of our Ice Castles share the same ingredients and process for construction," Christensen said. "But what's so cool is that each castle is unique because of Mother Nature's role in constantly melting, freezing and reshaping the ice. Even within each location, every day provides a new experience."
The Ice Castle is expected to be open to the public in late December through early March 2016, weather permitting. It will be open Monday through Thursday from 3-9 p.m., Fridays from 3-11 p.m. and Saturdays from 12-11 p.m. Tickets range from $9.95 to $12.95 for adults and from $6.95 to $8.95 for children and can be bought on the website.
More than 750,000 guests have visited the Ice Castles since 2009, according to an Ice Castle news release.
Davis also recently opened another new winter attraction with company, Animated Color. The "Christmas in Color" outdoor display opened Nov. 27 in Kearns, allowing visitors to enjoy a holiday-themed drive through of lights.
Since the opening is dependent on weather, check the website for the exact opening date.
