Crystallizing construction began this week in North Woodstock as build crews create the Ice Castles attraction for its sixth winter.
Over the next three to four weeks, ice artisans will grow and harvest up to 10,000 icicles each day. Each of those icicles is then hand-placed and sprayed with water. The process is repeated until the castles reach heights of around 30 feet to build the walk-through ice attraction.
“Our crew in New Hampshire has been working hard over the last few weeks laying out the castle’s design so we can build a unique, winter experience that is fun for people of all ages,” said Ryan Davis, Ice Castles CEO in a statement.
It will take more than 4,000 hours to shape, freeze and place the icicles and embed the frozen walls with color-changing LED lights.
There are ice slides and crawl spaces, towers and waterfalls, too. This year, guests can also enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides and a walk through an enchanted winter forest.
The company hopes the Ice Castle will be open close to New Year’s Day, though hours and dates are weather dependent.
Ice Castles is located on Clark Farm Road in North Woodstock.