Tau Kappa Epsilon captures first place in Winter Carnival snow statue competition

With their London snow sculpture, Houghton fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon won first place in the Fraternities Division and first place overall in the 2015 Winter Carnival competition with a vacation theme. The sculpture is facing Hwy. 41 next to Michigan Tech's Administration Building. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech University)

HOUGHTON -- Tau Kappa Epsilon's towering and intricate snow sculpture of London as a winter vacation getaway took first place in the Fraternities Division and first place overall in Michigan Tech 2015 Winter Carnival's month-long statue competition.

Judging was held this morning, Thursday; and the Blue Key National Honor Society -- which runs Winter Carnival -- announced the results Thursday afternoon.

Second place overall and in the fraternity division was a Hawaiian scene built by Phi Kappa Tau, a Hancock fraternity whose snow statues won first place for the past seven years.

Hancock fraternity Phi Kappa Tau, at 1209 Quincy St., took second place this year -- a break in their seven-year winning streak -- with this Hawaiian snow scene, including King Kamehameha, hula dancers, sea creatures and a Tiki Bar. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

While the Houghton winner met challenges of engineering to produce the tall structures of Big Ben and the London Eye giant ferris wheel, and added such London favorites as the double-decker bus and traditional taxi, Hancock's Phi Kappa Tau created very detailed ice and snow figures -- one of their specialties.

The Hancock second-place winner, Phi Kappa Tau, created a Hawaiian atmosphere with the surfer at left; icy sea creatures, foreground; the volcano Mauna Loa, center, sending smoke into the sky; hula dancers; a lifeguard; a daredevil fire thrower and more. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

How about a nice, cool drink at the Tiki Bar? (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Third place overall was Air Force ROTC, whose statue of Cape Canaveral in front of the ROTC Building also placed first in the Student Orgs Division. The Army ROTC's ocean statue placed second in that division and the Four Wheelers' Griswold family vacation, third.

Third place in the Fraternities Division was Sigma Tau Gamma, with a statue representing Egypt.

Theta Chi Epsilon placed first among women's groups with its statue depicting the Roman Coliseum, facing Hwy. 41 in front of the Opie and Van Pelt Library. Alpha Sigma Tau took second with a statue portraying Venice, Italy; and Delta Zeta's Taj Mahal statue came in third.

Summitt/WIE took first place among Residence Halls groups, with Raptor Hall placing second and Mama's Boys, third.

Statues built during the All-nighter Wednesday night were also judged, with St. Albert the Great, on MacInnes Drive, coming in first; TreeHouse, second; and FYE Wads, third.

Click here for the full results and more photos.

Michigan Tech's 2915 Winter Carnival continues through Saturday night, Feb. 7, with hockey games against Bemidji State Friday night and Saturday afternoon, snow volleyball, human dogsled races, a torchlight parade down Mont Ripley at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and fireworks following the torchlight parade.