We made a trip of a lifetime to see all of the winter activities and sculptures in Harbin China during the Jan 2013 Snow and Ice Festival opening weekend. In this photo is the largest Snow Sculpture in the world, 9 stories high on a day where temps reached -20F.

Not only did we see the snow sculptures, we went to the Ice festival at night, we visited the Siberian Tigers, watched people swim in the river (truly amazing to see fit people jump into and then swim in ice cold water).

If you are willing to go to one of the coldest places on earth, you will be rewarded by amazing art works, animals, and some of the heartiest and nices people that can be found anywhere.

Most pictures show the many colors of the ice city at night, which are amazing, but the snow sculptures will take your breath away, there were hundreds.