You can’t stop winter from wintering, so you might as well embrace the season.

See if you can relish the cold, snow, ice and all the pleasures that accompany the frozen days with the help of a festive winter festival or two. And remember, spring solstice is only a little over two months away.

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• Through Jan. 31: International Snow Sculpture Championships — Teams from around the world work for five days using only hand tools to carve 25-ton blocks of snow into pieces of art in downtown Breckenridge. Sculpture week is through Jan. 31 . Visitors are encouraged to instead check out the snow gallery Jan. 28-31; gobreck.com/event/international-snow-sculpture-championships.

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• Through Feb. 4: Snowdown — Durango’s annual festival, themed “Peace, Love and Snowdown,” features the Snowdown Follies, parade, chili cook-off, bloody mary contest, golf tournament and more; snowdown.org.

• Feb. 7-11: Winter Carnival — Steamboat Springs offers a festival with sights not often seen, including skiers jumping through fiery hoops and adults on shovels and kids on skis being pulled down Main Street. There’s also a parade, fireworks and an 180s-themed dance party; steamboatchamber.com/activities/winter-activities

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• Feb. 17-25: Cripple Creek Ice Festival — Carvers from across the country will compete for a $1,000 cash prize each weekend. Artists work on their masterpieces throughout the event, but activities, vendors and competitions will only take place on weekends; visitcripplecreek.com/cripple-creek-events.

• Feb. 24-March 2: Telluride Gay Ski Week — The weeklong celebration features an opening day party, daily après ski, pool parties, late-night lounge events and the White Party; telluride.com/event/telluride-gay-ski-week.

• March 1-3: Leadville Ski Joring & Crystal Carnival — In ski joring a horse and rider pull a skier who’s holding a rope. As they fly down Harrison Avenue, the skier leaps over jumps and spears rings set up along the course. Also on the docket are mountain bike and Nordic ski races and a paintball biathlon; tinyurl.com/cx98b98z.

• March 15-17: Frozen Dead Guy Days — The annual homage to frozen Grandpa Bredo features a Blue Ball, coffin races, live music, polar plunge and more at the Estes Park Events Complex and The Stanley Hotel; frozendeadguydays.com.

Contact the writer: 636-0270