Some art endures for centuries, seemingly frozen in time.

Then there is the art at Cripple Creek Ice Festival: actually frozen, but only for a few days.

When your medium is a 300-pound block of ice, time is not on your side. And neither is the sun. But the six professional carving teams traveling to town for the annual event understand the challenge. More important, they understand ice and how to sculpt it and shape it.

The transformation is a sight to behold, and visitors can take it all in starting Saturday on Cripple Creek’s Bennett Avenue.

Sixty-minute carving competitions take place at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. for two Saturdays in a stadium-style setting, with six carvers battling the clock and each other in hopes of winning $1,000.

Six teams will vie throughout the festival for the overall prize – a $5,000 award to be handed out at 1 p.m. Feb. 22.

The free event has become a winter staple in Cripple Creek. In all, more than 200,000 pounds of ice blocks are trucked into Teller County for the event.

That’s 100 tons of ice.

“Cripple Creek is very pleased to bring Ice Festival to town again this year,” Mayor Annie Durham said in a press release. “It is unquestionably one of our community’s most popular events, and we look forward to welcoming residents and visitors alike for this unique, family-friendly experience.”

Carvers will be on-site daily, allowing visitors to watch the transformation from ice block to detailed work of art. (Note: Bennett Avenue will be closed Tuesday morning as more ice is delivered.)

The weekends will feature food and drink from vendors such as The Rolling Gourmet Food Truck. And stores lining Bennett Avenue will offer everything from souvenirs to sweets. Plus, there are of course casinos.

The ice, though, is the main attraction.

Scott Ray, owner of The Rolling Gourmet Food Truck, said the process of turning ice into art “is just something you must see in person.”

And it’s something that people of all ages can enjoy.

The ice slide is an annual hit with children and children at heart. There will also be ice mazes and sculptures to climb up, over, under and through.

Along with food options, the vendor lineup will includes artisans, giving visitors a chance to browse handcrafted goods.

IF YOU GO

What: Cripple Creek Ice Festival

When: Saturday through Feb. 22, with carving competitions at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. on Saturdays

Where: Bennett Avenue, Cripple Creek

Price: Free; visitcripplecreek.com

SOMETHING ELSE

Cripple Creek Art Alliance will conduct an art show and sale throughout the festival at Cripple Creek Heritage Center, 9283 Colorado 67.

The artists, specializing in pen and ink, watercolors, acrylics, jewelry and photography, will be on-site.

The event is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free.