| There is nothing like a long drink on a hot sunny day | | | | not fighting, there is the ever present danger of |
| to cool down. Fruit juice bursting with health and | | | | getting a puck in the face or another bodily target |
| vitality needs more than a straw and an an umbrella | | | | despite the ten tonnes of padding and a helmet. Ice |
| to top it off, for a proper refreshing beverage, heaps | | | | skating on the other hand is a much more sedate |
| of ice are needed, crushed, cubed or flaked. There is | | | | pastime, and twirling away to the bolero in spangled |
| more to ice than just popping the stuff in drinks to | | | | spandex is always an option for a Friday night down |
| keep the summer heat at bay. Here are some ideas | | | | the local ice rink. |
| for icy activities. | | | | Ice Sculptures that aren't Luges |
| The Vodka Luge | | | | Ice sculptures have connotations of being a little |
| Continuing with a drinking theme, the luge is a fun | | | | passe. Although a vodka luge makes an interesting |
| way to enjoy a drink. The difference is that the | | | | variation, there are actually ice sculptors out there |
| alcohol is inside the ice and no glasses are needed! A | | | | whose talents blow minds. Intricate sculptures of |
| variation of the traditional ice sculptures adorning | | | | cameras and cars are cleverly crafted by artists as |
| corporate dinner tables, the luge is a party | | | | decor for corporate events and as promotional |
| centrepiece. The vodka luge is a sculpted block of ice | | | | sculptures for big business. The craft is regarded as |
| that has a channel running through it to pour a drink | | | | an art in it's own right too and competitions happen |
| through for a super chilled alcohol hit. As the drink is | | | | on a regular basis to crown a person as the most |
| poured in one end, the drinker waits at the other, | | | | talented ice artist. |
| mouth open to consume the icy vodka. To make the | | | | The Ice Hotel |
| process more entertaining, the sculptures are often | | | | However impressing all the crazy ice sculptures may |
| of body parts or objects that cause great hilarity | | | | be, nothing can beat the wonder of an ice hotel. |
| when they have to be put to the mouth! A basic | | | | There are several hotels of this nature located in |
| luge can be created at home, simply by freezing | | | | Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and |
| water in a mould as big as you fit in a freezer. A | | | | Quebec. These hotels have to be constructed from |
| plastic storage tub is ideal. Placing flexible tubing or | | | | scratch every year as they melt during the summer |
| wooden doweling in the mould forms a basic channel. | | | | time, and absolutely everything is made from ice. The |
| The Other Luge and more Icy Sports | | | | glasses, plates, chairs, tables, beds are all made from |
| If partying like an animal is not on the agenda, the | | | | ice. There is the luxury of sleeping on reindeer skin to |
| other luge is an option for more sober entertainment. | | | | keep the chills at bay though! The first hotel was in |
| A luge is a sled for up to two people similar to a | | | | Sweden and happened by accident. Japanese ice |
| bobsleigh and luge is the name of sport where the | | | | artists created an installation, and that evening there |
| sleds race against each other and the clock. Another | | | | were no places to stay, so they bedded down to |
| equally dangerous sporting pastime is Ice Hockey. | | | | become the first guests in what became an ice hotel. |
| Infamous for it's on rink fisty cuffs, the fights during | | | | So get creative with ideas for ice, you may well |
| ice hockey matches are all part of the game. When | | | | stumble upon a great new trend! |