The snow sculpture committee, co-chaired by Jeffery Wiltsey '09 and Benjy Meigs '10, was still packing snow into the sculpture's wooden frames as of press time, although the committee had hoped to begin carving by the end of the weekend. The committee now aims to remove the frames by the beginning of this week.
Wiltsey, who also expressed concern about the weather being too warm and rainy, said the biggest obstacle the committee faces is low student participation. Athletic teams are always eager to help, Wiltsey said, but the committee needs additional student commitments.
"We have four main guys who put in a lot of hours but we always have problems getting people to help," Wiltsey said. "We have little incentive but the warm, fuzzy feeling of helping out and that's not usually enough."
Wiltsey said the core group of students working on the sculpture would stay up all night if necessary to finish it on time but estimated a 10 percent chance that the proposed design would have to be downsized.
"I think the sculpture is a little more ambitious since I've been here. We have to strike a fine balance from what's too detailed and what's not, but I think we'll be successful," he said. "We'd like to take a week for carving before opening ceremonies, but right now we're probably only 80 to 85 percent done, and we still need help."
Improvements to the elevator ramp, a device used to help fill the wooden structure with snow, has alleviated some of the burden on student workers by making it easier to lift buckets of snow onto the structure. The device was invented last year as a senior project by then co-chair of the sculpture committee Dan Schneider '07.
In addition to the unveiling of the sculpture, the weekend will include performances by various a cappella groups, dance parties and movie showings.
The placement of a 104-degree hot tub in the middle of the Green, a feature introduced last year as an alternative to the polar bear swim, will not return this year.
"There didn't seem to be much student interest in it," Lizzie Teague '09, a chair of the Winter Carnival committee said. "The ski team really loved it and made use of it after their events but otherwise students didn't use it and seemed to think it was a bit sketchy."
The committee is taking a new approach to Carnival this year by working to expand indoor activities, Teague said.
"We are holding a movie brunch and showing the classic movie, '1000 Leagues Under The Sea' in Thayer," she said. "We're also holding a snow globe making event, allowing students to use their creativity and escape from the cold."
The committee hopes the addition of these new events will increase student enthusiasm and participation, Teague said..
"We have really good imagery this year and we're really excited about the sculpture and the special effects, so we just hope that people take advantage of the weekend, " she said. "It's a weekend for the students, so we just hope that the students enjoy it and most take advantage of it."
Other Winter Carnival events include the human dog sled race Thursday afternoon, the polar bear swim on Friday afternoon and ski races at the Dartmouth Skiway on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
