WHITE PASS, Wash.-- Workers at White Pass
Ski Resort are gearing up for the annual "Winter Carnival" this
weekend.
"All these people get started and
just don't wanna stop," said Castle Builder David Ruby.
The annual carnival will bring games,
races, and live music to white pass this weekend, but its most iconic symbol is
the big castle that springs up every year.
"I'm just proud to be a part of it,"
said Ruby.
It's built entirely by volunteers, shoveling
snow as well as watering and packing the towers.
These volunteers bring many of the skills
from their own jobs to the table.
"Myself, being in the construction
trade, just kind of adapted those skills to building the forms for this,"
Ruby said.
They want it done right.
"Making sure that the tunnel gets
put in and everything's nice and firm, we've got a good foundation to build
off," said Ruby's fellow castle builder James Montgomery.
Safety is a major concern for the
building of this castle. Not only is the tunnel under the castle completely
reinforced, but it can also take the weight of a 20-thousand pound snowcat.
It's backbreaking work.
"You know, I don't have any trouble
going to bed at the end of the day it's pretty... It's pretty hard, but it's fun.
We get to be out here, on a day like this today, and it's not all work. We get
to throw snowballs at each other," Montgomery said.
"We're really tired, you know, it's
always a... Huge job and we never think that we can complete it in time... And
then all of a sudden, it's done," Montgomery said.
However, there's one thing that makes it
all worth it.
"The real joy of the whole thing
comes on Saturday morning when we open it up to all the children," said
Ruby.
"They approach it and ask if they
can actually play on it... To hear someone say yes, you can play on this and do
whatever you want... It's pretty priceless," said Montgomery.
The Winter Carnival is happening all day
this Saturday and Sunday. While lift ticket prices are the same, the castle is
free and open to the public.
