According to a recent press release, the colorful and intricate Ice Castles will be returning to Dillon, Colorado this winter. The Ice Castles were a staple of local off-slope winter tourism for the Summit County area during the 2017-2018 ski season and are expected to be successful for a consecutive year. One projection suggests that the Ice Castles will bring more than $3,000,000 to the local economy, attracting tens of thousands.

The concept of the “Ice Castle” as a tourist attraction was created by Brent Christensen. What started out as a project to build an ice cave for his daughter quickly turned into a full-blown company, with six massive ice castles around the country. This number is expected to grow.

The Ice Castles feature formations of ice reaching up to 40 feet in the air. More than 10,000 icicles may be added to the “ fairytale playground” each day during the quickest stage of growth. Weighing in at over 25 million pounds, the ice also features LED lights inside of the structure to add a blast of color.

The Ice Castles didn’t come without minor  controversy, as last year, some blamed damages in the park where the ice castles were located on the rapid melting of so much ice. This was thought to contribute to erosion and flooding, among other issues.

At the moment, the Ice Castles are expected to open in Dillon by the end of December. They’ll likely feature slides, fountains, tunnels, towers, and more.