The only thing better than making a snowman and his family to occupy your front yard is making a freaking snow palace. Thankfully, we aren’t the only ones who feel this way. People from around the world host their own snow festivals and the resulting snow sculptures range from awe-inspiring to hilariously clever.  Not only are there snow palaces, but there are amazing animals and gigantic murals galore sculpted of snow and available for your viewing.

The realism, flow, and balance in these sculptures are all so crazily awesome that it’s too bad they’re only around for one winter. We found some truly fantastic examples of creativity and wanted to share with you! The detail, time, and effort that went into these snow sculptures is seriously, mindbogglingly impressive!

Get inspired and make some of your own snow sculptures! Also, if you find these really tickle your fancy, you should make sure to see when the next snow or winter festival is in your area. Competitions are generally free to join and it’s a great way to combine three awesome things: creativity, outdoors, and winter!