Ice Colosseum Shows Up in the Himalayas

The frozen Zanskar River gleams in the chilly Himalaya Mountains during the winter. Many ice painters have transformed this already stunning environment into something much more breathtaking.

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Artists from the Kangsing Collective, a self-described "international snow and ice sculpting team," began creating stunning ice sculptures using ice from the Zanskar River.

The river and ice formations are 11,000 feet above sea level and along a famous winter hiking track.

Sculpting

Artists have observed chopping blocks from the region with chainsaws to put together their works.

Several artists constructed a "small colosseum" that resembles Rome's iconic Flavian Amphitheater, the world's biggest amphitheater.

The mini colosseum is a fraction of the size of the Roman Colosseum, standing slightly higher than the average person.

Still, its resemblance to the iconic amphitheater is uncanny and incredible since it's sculpted from river ice.

The Roman Colosseum isn't the only renowned monument that the team hopes to recreate in ice. The developers want to one day replicate Sweden's famed Jukkasjarvi ice hotel.

A cafeteria and a sauna are among the other cool ice sculptures created by the artists.

The statues are being built near the Chilling hamlet in Ladakh, located in northern India.

Hard Work

The crew picked the location because it is shaded, which allows the ice sculptures to remain longer. Cold freezing winds also contribute to the area's chilly temperatures of 2 to 4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

The Kangsing Collective, on the other hand, is not letting the bitter cold keep people from admiring the winter wonders.

The group was able to build a sauna with the help of the local government so that visitors could warm up after viewing their creations.

The sauna may reach temperatures of up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to AFP, the ice construction is part of a seven-day Chader Trek that takes place along the frozen Zanskar River's surface amid "frozen desert beauty."

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the scenery has been closed for the last two years.

Harbin International Ice Festival

The Harbin International Ice Festival inspired the work in China, the world's largest ice festival. Like the artists at the Harbin Worldwide Ice Festival, the Kangsing Collective hopes that their sculptures will be seen by international artists and visitors one day.

"We're thinking about having a festival big enough, grand enough like Harbin International Festival, where we can invite artists from all over the globe to come and participate," Tashi, a group member, told AFP.