Looking for your perfect winter wonderland? In Breckenridge, Colorado, delicious dining and craft spirit options mix with world-class powder at 9,600 feet of elevation in this picturesque mountain town, offering visitors their own piece of winter paradise.

This January, the city again transforms into an outdoor sculpture garden during the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships. Over the course of five days, 16 teams from around the world hand-carve 25-ton blocks of snow into enormous works of art, creating a stunning temporary art gallery in historic downtown.

Four artists per team; snow blocks 12-feet high; 16 teams selected from 250 invited teams; 400 tons of snow in total; and snow blocks weighing in at 50,000 pounds pre-sculpting.

While Breckenridge Ski Resort has the task of making the snow, the Town of Breckenridge Public Works Department takes over the job of hauling it to the event site via dump truck.

Using front-end loaders and a huge blower, snow is then transferred from the trucks into wooden molds. Five to ten volunteers, or "snow stompers," climb into the blocks and stomp the snow to help pack it down, repeating the process until the mold is completely packed. The end result is a snow block measuring 10-feet wide, 10-feet long and 12-feet high.

The Snow Sculpture Organizing Committee sends 250 invitations in June and receives artist submissions in August. A selection committee reviews the entries and decides which 16 teams to invite.

Selected teams provide their own transportation to Denver and are supported by a travel stipend. The Organizing Committee, combined with the help of many local sponsors, takes care of meals, transportation from the airport and lodging in the city.

Artists are permitted the use of hand tools, including vegetable peelers, chicken wire, small saws and more. Power tools, colorants and internal support structures are, however, prohibited.

In Breckenridge, snow carving began as a local pastime during the town's winter carnival-Ullr Fest-in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In Norse mythology, Ullr, pronounced to rhyme with "ruler," is the God of Snow. The more boisterous Ullr Fest runs January 9-12.

In 1979, the staff at Moore and Co. Real Estate pondered whether they would design a float for the parade or craft a sculpture from snow. After deciding with the flip of a coin, Team Breck, the town's competitive snow sculpting team, was formed. As years passed, with sculptures progressing and goals elevating, Team Breck competed in the Colorado State Snow Sculpture Championships and then set their sights on an international event.

In 1990, Team Breck, which consisted of Rob Neyland, Ron Shelton, Randy Amys and Bill Hazell, along with the Town of Breckenridge and Breckenridge Ski Resort, played host to the inaugural International Snow Sculpture Championships.

Successive competitions bring new languages and new friends to this historic mining town, which has welcomed artists from countries such as Morocco, Switzerland, Russia, China, Argentina and Canada. The founders of Breckenridge's International Snow Sculpture Championships are still involved in the event, which is attended annually by more than 45,000 people.

Taking place at the Riverwalk Center, located at 150 W. Adams Avenue, "stomping" runs January 15 through 18, with the International Snow Sculpture Championships beginning January 21 and ending January 25. Viewing of the sculptures runs January 25-30, with the event site closing at 7:00 p.m. on the last day.

While waiting for the festivities to begin, visit Broken Compass Brewing, a local's favorite not far from downtown, which has been brewing award-winning, category-busting craft beer since 2014.

If you can, show up mid-week for Wacky One-off Wednesday. This is when the brewmasters take even more risks with what they put on tap, including flavors like Cranberry Berliner Weiss, Grapefruit Double IPA, GingerBread Red, Spruce Tip Snow Blind IPA and more. But be warned, once it's gone, it's gone with no guarantee of ever returning.

New for 2019 is a fireworks show on Saturday, January 26. After, take the Alpine vibe to the next level with fondue at Swiss Haven, less than a five-minute walk from where the competition is taking place.

Teams competing this year come from China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia and Turkey, along with Colorado and Wisconsin in the United States. At the conclusion of the competition, judges award gold, silver and bronze prizes, along with the Artists' Choice award.

Two categories are open to public voting: the People's Choice and Kids' Choice awards. To vote, text the code associated with that piece to the number provided. Follow the @GoBreck account on social media to vote for your favorites in the Social Media Award.

Should your favorite team claim victory, celebrate at Breckenridge Distillery, Whisky Magazine's 'Icons of Whiskey' America Brand Innovator of the Year for 2018.

This year's competitors will be looking to unseat Team Mongolia (Erdene), who won the gold in the 28th annual competition a year ago with "Secret," a piece that depicted a representation of a secret keeper's chest.

Last year's top placing U.S. team, taking home the bronze, was from Wisconsin.