Vernon father, daughter carve 10-foot inukshuk on Ellison Lake

What started as a way to cool down after a long run has turned into a creative ice carving adventure for Shanda Hill and her father this past weekend.

They spent the weekend carving ice sculptures on Ellison Lake, using chainsaws to create a heart-shaped hole in the ice, as well as an igloo, bench, chair, a 10-foot-tall inukshuk and more.

The ice carving ideas started last year when Hill would hop in the freezing lake after training for her triathlon runs, she said.

“I’ve always done ice bath for recovery on my legs,” she said, adding that last year she hand-chipped three ice hearts in Kalamalka Lake.

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Feb 15, 2019 at 9:34am PST

This year, Ellison Lake has the perfect ice, not being too thick, nor too thin, she said. The shallow waters also make for perfect sculpting, as they weren’t concerned about falling through.

“I’m off-season racing right now and I enjoy getting out and doing stuff,” she said.

With the 10-foot inukshuk, she wanted something that was too big to tip over and with the help of a local she was able to use a ladder to place its head.

“It was fun,” she said. “We probably had maybe 60 people come out who just stopped from the highway.”

She said the holes are large enough for people to clearly see and the water is only about four-feet deep.

READ MORE: iN VIDEO: Vernon father and daughter create funky ice sculptures on Duck Lake

“The water’s shallow, we were in it, we were swimming,” she said.

The father-daughter duo made sure to drain their chainsaws of oil before they started carving to not impact the lake, she said.

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