A look inside Colorado’s ‘Ice Castles’: the winter spectacle that has a new home in Cripple Creek

CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado's beloved "Ice Castles" attraction has finally returned after a three-year hiatus, but this time it has a new home on the western slope in Cripple Creek.

Upwards of 20 Ice Artisans are creating thousands of icicles every day, turning a plot of land just off of East Bennett Avenue in Cripple Creek, into a glistening ice castle.

It's an attraction that the city hopes will become a new staple, adding to its resume as a tourist destination.

"We're looking forward to folks from all over the state that are ice castle fans and folks from around the area in surrounding states that have never seen it before," explains Jeff Mosher, the Special Projects Manager with the City of Cripple Creek.

The crew constructing the spectacle, entirely made of ice from the ground up, says they're about halfway through the building process.

"We hand place each icicle until it forms with the one next to it. And eventually, we'll have 20-foot-high walls," explained Kail Hanrahan, the Event Manager for the Ice Castles Colorado location. The company has Ice Castles in Minnesota, Utah, and New Hampshire, as well as a similar event in New York and Wisconsin.

"Ice castles is a winter experience unlike any other, you enter and you feel like you've entered a different world," she adds.

Despite the city's high elevation and constant sunlight, Hanrahan says the building process hasn't slowed, mainly due to colder temperatures in the morning and night-time hours. They also installed irrigation systems during Phase One of the building process, to ensure the ice can stay maintained.

"We're able to run water on those and the temp are cold enough. Then that's what keeps the walls building," said Hanrahan.

The City of Cripple Creek says their cheap water prices due to having some of the oldest water rights in the country, as well as the abundant amount of parking they have, helped them score the opportunity.

Mosher says it hopefully leads to a long-term deal.

"It's what kind of town are you in, and is it going to be attractive for folks to come and visit? And that's what we've always been is a great destination location," explained Mosher.

Hanrahan says your ticket will allow you to visit any time of day, and will depend on your preference for the experience you'd like.

"During the day, you get to see the ice in a way that you don't necessarily get at night, but at night we do have our lights on... it really makes you feel like a kid again," said Hanrahan. "There's really nothing else like it."

The official opening day for the attraction is January 13 however, pending favorable weather conditions there could be earlier dates that open up. Organizers with the Ice Castles say that could be between the week of Christmas and New Years Day.

To buy your ticket, and learn about more dates and details for the Ice Castles click here.