Snow sculptor cheers up Winnipeg winter

On March 12, our kababayan Ed Sanchez was proclaimed the winner of the Best Individual Snowman in the Last Snowman Winnipeg Contest 2023.

Sanchez is an artist who is passionate in creating art with snow. Every winter, Sanchez creates snow sculptures that bring joy to his Winnipeg neighbourhood. He prefers to create in February because that’s when, he said, he finds “perfect snow” for his sculptures.

This winter, he created snow art that pays tribute to Winnipeg firefighters. Sanchez wants to honour them for the good work they do especially in the North End area. “I want to dedicate this to firefighters because they do their best to keep us safe,” he said.

His snow sculpture is a three-metre-tall head wearing a firefighter’s helmet. The structure is so big that it occupies his yard and part of his neighbour’s yard. This gesture to recognize the hard work that firefighters do prompted a visit from the crew of Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service’s Station 6 to see the snow art honouring them and meet Sanchez in person. They also sent out a grateful tweet on February 26:

Wpg resident Ed Sanchez has honoured our fire fighters through his remarkable snow sculpture on Airlies.

It was fitting to have the crew from Station 6 (same as on the sculpture’s helmet) stop by to pose for a picture and meet Ed himself.

Thank you, Ed!

The United Firefighters of

Winnipeg @iaff13th

For Sanchez, crafting snow sculptures is a joy and passion. He vows to keep his art going every winter. He has plans to widen his audience. Next winter, it is possible that not only his neighbours on Airlies will experience his snow art, but also the community at large when