ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Absolute Zero Ice Design brings ice carving talents to Big Sky Winter Fest

BY TUCKER HARRIS

BUTTE — Corey Gransbery began his ice carving career 13 years ago in his hometown of Butte at the local Ice Carving Contest with a one-inch chisel from the hardware store and the process of trial and error. Now, he and his wife, Lisa, travel to give ice carving demonstrations and deliver beautiful sculptures throughout Montana for events through their company Absolute Zero Ice Design.

An artist in many respects, Gransbery works full-time as a graphic designer and video editor, which he attributes much of his ice-carving success to. He and Lisa enjoy teaching carving demonstrations and showing people that they could be surprised by what they can do with a 300-pound block of ice—you don’t have to be a professional sculptor to create something beautiful, he says.

The Gransberys will be joining Outlaw Partners, publisher of Explore Big Sky, at the 2022 inaugural Winter Fest for a free ice carving demonstration outside of the Wilson Hotel in Town Center Plaza on Friday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. There, they will demonstrate their techniques and answer questions from passersby.

On Saturday, Feb. 5, the professional ice sculptors will spend the day judging the Winter Fest Ice Carving competition, where four carvers will show off their talents to Big Sky residents and visitors alike.

EBS spoke to Corey before the event to learn more about his ice carving background and the work that goes into each of his works. EBS: What is the greatest challenge with ice carving?

Corey Gransbery and his wife, Lisa Gransbery, pose next to a picture frame ice sculpture they carved in Missoula. PHOTO COURTESY OF COREY GRANSBERY. C.G.: For me the greatest challenge with ice carving is the delivery. You finally finish a piece and it looks great but now you have to move it to a location. Anything can happen in transport if you’re not careful so that is really stressful. During a demo the greatest challenge is probably the weather. Being able to freeze multiple blocks together requires the right temperature. EBS: What are you most looking forward to at the Winter Fest event? C.G.: We are scheduled to carve an ice “Freeze Frame” selfie station in advance. We’ll set that up first thing when we get there so that people who are walking around can already start to enjoy it. We are really looking forward to doing the demo, because…we are going bigger than they wanted… When I get an artistic idea, I’m just gonna do that and I want to try to impress too right… So I’m super excited. We are going to do two fish swimming around…But it’s gonna be out of five blocks of ice. So yeah, like 1,500 pounds of ice. We have four people locked in to carve that have done stuff in Butte contests and Bozeman contests, and they’re [going] to do really well. So I’m excited to see what they complete [on Saturday]. And then the ice bar is going to be a fun one too because we’re going to be doing it outside there in that same area. We are excited to see people utilize it and have fun with the built in drink luges. I know 406 Agave is sponsoring it and their logo works perfect for the way we do logos in ice. So I’m stoked to see how that comes out.

Some answers below have been edited for brevity.

Explore Big Sky: How did you first get into ice carving?

Corey Gransbery: I’m into art, I love…and work in different types of medias so it was just one more thing to try. I really fell in love with it because you’re able to complete a sculpture in like six hours with a hand tool. You actually sculpt something out of a block and get a result a lot quicker than you would, say, with wood or marble or something like that.

EBS: What is the process and what are the tools needed for ice carving?

C.G.: You could start with a one-inch chisel from a hardware store. My process now and the tools I use now though, I’ve used a lot of power tools over the years. After winning a couple of those contests, and people would ask me to do a [sculpture for a] wedding, I’d invest that money into a power tool—whether it was an electric chainsaw, or a die grinder or a new bit for a die grinder—that would speed up the process, help me be more efficient.

So my process: You start with the block of ice produced by Andy Nye and The Ice House which has locations in both Bozeman and Twin Bridges. The average carving block is 40 inches by 20 inches and then about 8-10 inches deep. So I usually come up with a design on the computer that I’m going to do or talk to a client, see what they want… get approval on the design, and then I start laying it out.

I really like to utilize all the ice I can out of a block and try to figure out ‘okay, if we take this piece out, it can go here to really make the designs that I have come up with happen.’

I start out with a layout and then I can either print it out onto a paper and then spray the paper with water laid on the block and it freezes to it. And then I go around all the lines and kind of rough edge in the design, and then start taking away the negative space or blocking it out. I also have an alcohol marker that can draw right on the ice. Sometimes I lay it out that way as well. Having a graphic design background helps… It has really gone hand-in-hand and made things a lot easier.

Once it’s all done, I kind of clean it up, get all the snow—a lot of the tools will create a lot of snow. And then you kind of hit it with a blowtorch, and it really clears out the ice…and see how it looks. I try not to nitpick too much. Sometimes, I get so into the art that I am trying to make it perfect, but you know, it’s really so fragile that it’s never going to be perfect. You learn over time that it’s just one of those things you have to think on the fly and adapt and overcome.

Colin Cook returns to Best of the West Skijoring Competition Outlaw Partners and Big Sky Skijoring bring thrill to Big Sky

BY TUCKER HARRIS

BIG SKY — Colin Cook told himself he was done with skijoring for good in 2019.

Cook was the national champion, cashing in over $30,000 in checks in just two months. But after seeing one of his friends and fellow competitors get badly injured at the skijoring championship held in Red Lodge, he decided he wanted to keep his body healthy and intact before heading into hunting and fishing seasons.

Skijoring, derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring, meaning "ski driving," is the competitive sport of being pulled on skis by a horse through a course filled with jumps. The fastest trio wins.

Cook took a brief hiatus from skijoring in 2020 instead trying out gelande— think high-stakes Nordic ski jumping—in Missoula. However, he quickly realized skijoring was not as dangerous as he thought. In his first gelande competition, Cook jumped 183 feet, but crashed, injuring his shoulder and knocking himself out.

“The whole idea of not wanting to skijor anymore because it was too dangerous was out the window after that,” Cook said.

Cook has returned to the adrenaline rush of skijoring this 2021-22 season and will be competing at Big Sky Skijoring’s Best of the West Competition on Feb. 5 and 6 as part of Big Sky Winter Fest hosted by Outlaw Partners, publisher of Explore Big Sky.

Cook, now 32, grew up ski racing with his older brother in Missoula though he said this eventually led to burnout.

“It took five to six years until I actually enjoyed skiing again,” Cook admitted.

When he’s not traveling to skijoring competitions, Cook lives in Bozeman and is in the midst of starting his own excavation business, Cook Civil Contracting.

Cook originally decided he wanted to give the fast-paced sport of skijoring a try at age 25 after seeing his brother take up the sport.

“I caught wind of it and tried it,” said Cook “And that was that; the rest is history.”

Since beginning his skijoring career, Cook has claimed two national titles: once in 2017 and again in 2019. He has competed in, organized and helped design courses for numerous skijoring events across the country. When it comes to course design, Cook is always ready to step up.

“I generally give my input on every one of [the courses],” Cook said. “I set the gates and design the course wherever it’s needed.”

Cook will help design the course in Big Sky and has been asked to design the skijoring course in West Yellowstone as well for this season. The two main factors that go into building and designing a course, according to Cook, are snow for the jumps and the safety of the footing for the horse.

Colin Cook gets air at the Skijor USA San Juan Skijoring event in Ridgeway, Colorado in Jan. 2022. PHOTO BY DENISE E. JONES

WINTER FEST SCHEDULE

FEBRUARY 3-6

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 5 pm | Viking XC Ski Race | Big Sky Resort Nordic Center

SPACE STILL AVAILABLE!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4 3 pm | Frozen Foot Obstacle Course | BASE Community Center

NO REGISTRATION NECESSARY, JUST SHOW UP! 4 pm | Ice Sculpting Demonstration | Town Center Plaza

FREE EVENT, STOP ON BY! 6 - 7:30 pm | Retro Movie Night | The Independent

SOLD OUT 7 - 9 pm | Silent Disco | Town Center Plaza

FREE FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT, SWING BY!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5 9 am - 4 pm | Winter Fest Ice Sculpting Competition | Town Center Plaza

FREE EVENT, STOP ON BY! 12 pm - 4 pm | Best of the West Skijoring Competition | Town Center

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AND WALK-UP DAY OF EVENT 6 pm | Skijoring Calcutta, 406 Agave Ice Bar | Tips Up

NO TICKETS NEEDED, STOP BY! 7 pm - 9 pm | Winter Street Dance | Town Center Plaza

FREE EVENT!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6 11 am - 4 pm | Best of the West Skijoring Championship | Town Center

“It’s extremely important that the horses’ footing is as perfect as it possibly can be to make sure they’re safe,” Cook said. “And that’s more important than the skier course.”

Cook helped put on the first Best of the West Skijoring event in Big Sky in 2018 with the passionate and determined help of Justa Adams; Richard Weber, one of Cook’s go-to riders; and skijoring competitor, Tyler Smedsrud. In just four short weeks, the team miraculously put together the first Big Sky Skijoring event, with the tremendous help of the Big Sky community including numerous donors and the Simkins family and Erik Morrison, Big Sky Town Center’s events manager, helping find the right location in Town Center.

“There has never been a sport or anything in my life that I’ve watched that has made my heart pound like skijoring—ever,” Adams said. “It gives me goosebumps, it absolutely fills my soul…I’m so proud to have been here from the start and to have brought it to Big Sky.”

Big Sky Skijoring has continued to be a proven success in its skijoring events over the past few years growing to 130 teams competing at the 2020 Best of the West Competition—the second largest event in the country that year. This year, $15,000 has been added into the winners’ pot that goes directly to the competitors.

Cook skijors for the thrill. Pulled behind racehorses moving 35-45 mph there is no wonder he returned to the speed and the risk of skijoring.

But for Cook, it’s more than just the thrill; it’s the people.

“It’s so eye-opening to everyone, the outsiders, to see how close knit everybody is,” Cook said. “We will bend over backwards for each other to make sure everyone’s safe.”

When it comes down to it, the sport is about the skijoring family, he said. Cook just completed another successful skijoring event in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, raking in more than $19,000, and he’s ready to continue this success closer to home in Big Sky. Watch Cook compete in the heart of Big Sky at the Best of the West Competition Feb. 5 and 6.

Claudia Schmidt pulls Cook through the 2019 Best of the West Skijoring Competition in Big Sky. PHOTO BY SORCHA MATISSE

Visit outlaw.partners/winterfest for more information and to purchase tickets.

BIG SKY EVENTS CALENDAR

Friday, Jan. 28 – Thursday, Feb. 10

If your event falls between Feb. 11 and Feb. 24 please submit it by Feb. 2 by emailing media@outlaw.partners

Friday, Jan. 28

Big Sky Ideas Festival: Live Music with Bruce Anfinson and Monique Benabou

The Independent, 6 p.m.

Jazz Night: Craig Hall Trio

The Independent, 8 p.m.

Live Music: South of Wisdom

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 29

TEDxBigSky

Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 5 p.m.

Live Music: Brian Stumpf The Independent, 8 p.m.

Live Music: Austin English & Josh Langston

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 30

TEDxBigSky

Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 5 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 31

Monday Night Ruck

Peets Hill/Burke Park, 6:45 p.m.

Film: “The Long Strange Trip”

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 1

Film: “Torn”

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Wednesday Feb. 2

Trivia Night

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Kent Johnson

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 3

Big Sky Serenity Seekers Al-Anon meeting

All Saints Chapel, 4 p.m.

Winter Fest: Viking Race

Big Sky Nordic Center, 5 p.m.

Film: “50 First Dates”

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: The Damn Duo

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 4

Winter Fest: Frozen Foot Obstacle Course

Len Hill Park, 3 p.m.

Winter Fest: Ice Sculpture demonstration

Big Sky Town Center Plaza, 4 p.m.

Big Sky Serenity Seekers Al-Anon meeting

All Saints Chapel, 4 p.m.

Winter Fest: Retro Ski Movie Night

The Independent, 5 p.m.

Winter Fest: Silent Disco

Big Sky Town Center Plaza, 7 p.m.

Jazz Night: Craig Hall Trio

The Independent, 8 p.m.

Live Music: Moonlight Moonlight

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 5

Winter Fest: Best of the West Skijoring

Big Sky Town Center, 12 p.m.

Winter Fest: Ice Sculpture demonstration

Big Sky Town Center Plaza, 9 a.m.

Winter Fest: Community Street Dance featuring Forester

Big Sky Town Center Plaza, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Chris Cunningham and Jim Averitt

The Independent, 8 p.m.

Live Music: Take a Chance with Jenn & Juice

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 6

Winter Fest: Best of the West Skijoring

Big Sky Town Center, 11 a.m.

Live Music: Cole Thorne

The Standard, 7 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 7

Film: “Beats, Rhymes & life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest”

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 8

Film: “Miracle on Ice” The Independent, 7 p.m.

Open Mic Night Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 9

Trivia Night

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Daniel Kosel

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 10

Big Sky Serenity Seekers Al-Anon meeting

All Saints Chapel, 4 p.m.

Film: “When Harry Met Sally”

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: The Damn Duo

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Featured Event: Big Sky Winter Fest, Feb. 3-6

Outlaw Partners is hosting the inaugural Big Sky Winter Fest. With four days of family-friendly winter celebrations, events will include nordic ski races, an obstacle course, skijoring, ice sculpture carving, live music, a retro movie night and silent disco, and a street dance all in the heart of Big Sky, Montana. Big Sky Winter Fest will raise funds to benefit the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation. Visit outlaw.partners/winterfest for more information.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

BY TUCKER HARRIS

I always feel guilty about letting overripe bananas go to waste. Fortunately, they’re the perfect ingredient to make delicious banana bread, to add to a smoothie or my personal favorite: making banana chocolate chip muffins. This recipe is quick and simple and will create the perfect grab-and-go breakfast before hitting the slopes or a much-needed treat to get you through an afternoon slump. These muffins are not too sweet, stay moist and will last you all week or up to three months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas • 1/3 cup melted butter cooled • 2/3 cup sugar • 1 egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 pinch of salt • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

These banana chocolate chip muffins are not too sweet, stay moist and will last you all week or up to three months in the freezer. PHOTO BY TUCKER HARRIS

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grease muffin tins or fill with muffin liners.

3. Peel bananas and add them into a big bowl with the melted butter.

4. Mash the butter and bananas together with a fork, blending until smooth.

5. Add sugar, egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

6. Stir in salt and baking soda.

7. Add flour and chocolate chips, mix until combined, but not overdone. Divide into muffin tins.

8. Bake for 18 min or until a toothpick pulls out clean.

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