Chanhassen, Minn. man builds ice castle on front lawn

CHANHASSEN, Minn. (KMSP) - When it gets bitterly cold outside for long periods, it can be hard to stay active. But as one Chanhassen, Minnesota man discovered, these long days of winter don't have to be intimidating, they can be motivating.

For 55 hours over the span of many weeks, David Wollen has been setting and sculpting every nook and cranny of his very own ice castle, often in subzero temperatures.

“Oh you can't stay out too long,” Wollen said. “Usually you have your ear muffs on and I got to change gloves all the time.

For Wollen, winter does not mean retreat. 

“Instead of just sitting on my butt, I enjoy getting out and moving around,” he said. 

For him, the darkest, most frigid months of the year offer a release. 

 “I just love art,” Wollen said. “I just like to be creative.”

Wollen’s creativity does not just thrive in the winter. In the summer, its sand castles, in the fall, pumpkin carving, but it is this time of year in the extreme elements that really get his artistic juices flowing. 

“And you can take these and you can just set them out front right here one on top of the other. It gives you dimension it gives you structure, it gives you personality to an ice castle."

Because when you are doing what you love, it does not matter what Mother Nature throws at you. You can still put yourself out there and find joy and sometimes in your own front yard.