Every year in Fairbanks, Alaska, the World Ice Art Championships takes place, and it is no cute little side hobby. Praised as one of the world’s largest ice sculpting competitions and exhibitions, the World Ice Art Championships has grown into a month-long event featuring more than 70 teams from around the world. The works are stunning and often massive in both size and visual appeal.

The Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice covering 660,235 sq miles, roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Some scientists predict that climate change may be near a "tipping point" where the entire ice sheet will melt in about 2000 years. If the entire 2,850,000 cubic kilometres (683,751 cu mi) of ice were to melt, it would lead to a global sea level rise of 7.2 m (23.6 ft).

19 individually themed and hand crafted art suites have been newly designed by creatives from across the world – from a swedish artist who made a giant snow elephant in the room, to a french team who fused snow, ice and disco into a groovy sleeping experience. Each year, the hotel creates a new series of artist-designed accommodation spaces that add to the existing landscape of private rooms. (Photo by Icehotel.com/Exclusivepix Media)

An climber ascends a silo covered in ice in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States, January 17, 2016. The owners have connected hoses to the top of the silo and spray it with water in winter months to freeze the exterior for climbing. (Photo by Jim Young/Reuters)

Dancers take part in the Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures) street parade of ethnic minorities in Berlin, Germany, May 15, 2016. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Participants dressed as cuddly animals arrive for the annual Eurofurence “furries” gathering at the Estrel hotel on August 22, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Eurofurence attracts furry fandom enthusiasts from across the globe for four days of anthropomorphic fun. (Photo by Michele Tantussi/Getty Images)

Guests spend the night in the beach bar so called club of the visionairs in the early morning hours of August 21, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin, which is among Europe's most popular travel destinations, is crisscrossed with canals and rivers over which lead a total of 564 bridges. The city's ample access to water has encouraged many bar and restaurant owners to create beach atmosphere as a growing summer day- and nightlife institution. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

Fireworks explode over the Quadriga statue atop the Brandenburg Gate on New Year's Eve on January 1, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. According to the media, up to one million people celebrate the country's biggest New Year's Eve Party. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)