19 January 2016 – Nestled in the heart of Colorado, the mountain town of Breckenridge is preparing to celebrate its 26th International Snow Sculpture Championships (ISSC) this January. Some 16 teams from all over the world are now making final preparations and packing their snow carving tools as they prepare to compete at the annual event, which takes place from 26 – 30 January 2016 at Breckenridge's Riverwalk Center.

The international teams from Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany (Agrawal), Germany (Theil), Great Britain, Mexico, Mongolia (Batmunkh), Mongolia (Bayamunkh), Switzerland, USA (Breckenridge), USA (Loveland), USA (Vermont), USA (Wisconsin) and Ukraine will compete for five days, until their works of art are ready for judging and display on Saturday 30 January 2016. Following this, the sculptures will stay on display for guests to admire until 7 February 2016.  

Breckenridge is urging Brits to get behind Team GB and show their support by liking the team's pre-event video here and following the hashtag #BreckBecause to see the latest on the event.

Breckenridge Tourism Office has also rounded up 10 interesting facts for International Snow Sculpture Championships to give snow-lovers and ski enthusiasts a flavour of the town's snow-sculpting history. From details on how ISSC's snow is made to all details on ISSC's 2016 teams, Breck's Top 10 list include:

1. Snow carving in Breckenridge began during the town's winter carnival Ullr Fest, a celebration in the name of Ullr, the Winter God in Norse mythology.
2. Team Great Britain's Captain Oliver Annaly, is a stone sculptor and architectural stone carver by trade. When not snow-sculpting in Breckenridge, he works on cathedrals, castles and monuments across the UK.
3. Breckenridge's International Snow Sculpture Championship is attended annually by more than 34,000 people.
4. To sculpt, artists are only allowed to use their bare hands and their choice of hand tools, including the likes of vegetable peelers, chicken wire and small saws.
5. There are no cash prizes so artists just compete for the sheer joy of it!
6. The blocks of snow used to create the art-work are formed thanks to teams of volunteers, known as 'snow stompers'.
7. The total amount of snow to create blocks for the 16 competing teams weighs 320 tons.
8. Team USA Loveland's Randy Adams has been snow-sculpting since 1984.
9. To foster the next generation of local snow artists, a kids' snow sculpture competition takes place before the start of ISSC.
10. As a fiery contrast to the snow sculpture competition, Breckenridge Creative Arts brings the Fire Arts Festival Jan 28 – 31 which includes burning sculptures, fire performances and heat-themed workshops.

To keep up with the latest news and events during the International Snow Sculpture Championships, visit www.breckconnection.com, like @GoBreck on Facebook or follow #BreckBecause on Twitter and Instagram. On Saturday 30 January you can also vote for Team GB on Facebook and help them win the 'Social Media Fan Favourite Award' – so don't forget to 'like' them!

For more information on the International Snow Sculpture Championships, visit www.gobreck.com/events/international-snow-sculpture-championships or www.SculptSnow.com and for more information on Breckenridge, visit www.gobreck.com. 

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Picture Captions (From Left to Right)

Image 1: Team Great Britain at ISSC 2013.Image courtesy of Breckenridge Tourism Office.

Image 2: Team Great Britain pose next to their snow statue in Breckenridge in 2014. Image courtesy of Oliver Annaly, Team GB.

Image 3: Team Great Britain Snow Sculpture at ISSC 2013. Image courtesy of Breckenridge Tourism Office.

To arrange interviews with participating teams, discuss press trips, source high-res images or video footage, contact:

McCluskey International 

Fiona Anderson / Lauren Hill

T: 020 8747 2170

E: breck@mccluskey.co.uk