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Competitors find love at World Snow Sculpting Championship in Stillwater

Love is in the air at the World Snow Sculpting Championship
Love is in the air at the World Snow Sculpting Championship 03:13

STILLWATER, Minn. — From Peru to Norway, people from around the world are gathering in Stillwater for the World Snow Sculpting Championship.

With sub-zero temperatures, there is a chill in the air, but love is in the air too. 

"I feel like a kid when I carve snow, playing with friends, I don't think about anything so I really love it," Joelle Gagnon with Team Canada said.

Arto Manninen is with Team Finland.

"It's really physical so I also like that a lot," he said.

Gagnon's team won last year.

"We are very proud of that, it was an amazing year," she said.

Manninen's team did not win.

"I think we should do something better 'cause we haven't won anything yet," he said.

But in a way they both hit the jackpot last January when they struck up a friendship. They agreed to stay in touch and meet up again in France.

"When I got back home and we started to have conversation more and I felt something," Gagnon said. "I think I just feel comfortable around him, just easy."

"I don't know, she's a very warm person and also very lovable," Manninen said.

Months later, in his homeland of Finland, they decided to be comfortable for life. Manninen proposed and Gagnon accepted.

"Totally didn't see that coming when I came here last year," Gagnon said.

But even though they are now together, they are still on separate teams.

"It's not so much competing when it comes to art," Gagnon said. "And if they win, I will be happy."

The World Snow Sculpting Competition goes through Saturday night when they will have a celebration called the world's coolest block party.

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