There is nothing like a long drink on a hot sunny day to cool down. Fruit juice bursting with health and vitality needs more than a straw and an an umbrella to top it off, for a proper refreshing beverage, heaps of ice are needed, crushed, cubed or flaked. There is more to ice than just popping the stuff in drinks to keep the summer heat at bay. Here are some ideas for icy activities.

The Vodka Luge

Continuing with a drinking theme, the luge is a fun way to enjoy a drink. The difference is that the alcohol is inside the ice and no glasses are needed! A variation of the traditional ice sculptures adorning corporate dinner tables, the luge is a party centrepiece. The vodka luge is a sculpted block of ice that has a channel running through it to pour a drink through for a super chilled alcohol hit. As the drink is poured in one end, the drinker waits at the other, mouth open to consume the icy vodka. To make the process more entertaining, the sculptures are often of body parts or objects that cause great hilarity when they have to be put to the mouth! A basic luge can be created at home, simply by freezing water in a mould as big as you fit in a freezer. A plastic storage tub is ideal. Placing flexible tubing or wooden doweling in the mould forms a basic channel.

The Other Luge and more Icy Sports

If partying like an animal is not on the agenda, the other luge is an option for more sober entertainment. A luge is a sled for up to two people similar to a bobsleigh and luge is the name of sport where the sleds race against each other and the clock. Another equally dangerous sporting pastime is Ice Hockey. Infamous for it's on rink fisty cuffs, the fights during ice hockey matches are all part of the game. When not fighting, there is the ever present danger of getting a puck in the face or another bodily target despite the ten tonnes of padding and a helmet. Ice skating on the other hand is a much more sedate pastime, and twirling away to the bolero in spangled spandex is always an option for a Friday night down the local ice rink.

Ice Sculptures that aren't Luges

Ice sculptures have connotations of being a little passe. Although a vodka luge makes an interesting variation, there are actually ice sculptors out there whose talents blow minds. Intricate sculptures of cameras and cars are cleverly crafted by artists as decor for corporate events and as promotional sculptures for big business. The craft is regarded as an art in it's own right too and competitions happen on a regular basis to crown a person as the most talented ice artist.

The Ice Hotel

However impressing all the crazy ice sculptures may be, nothing can beat the wonder of an ice hotel. There are several hotels of this nature located in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and Quebec. These hotels have to be constructed from scratch every year as they melt during the summer time, and absolutely everything is made from ice. The glasses, plates, chairs, tables, beds are all made from ice. There is the luxury of sleeping on reindeer skin to keep the chills at bay though! The first hotel was in Sweden and happened by accident. Japanese ice artists created an installation, and that evening there were no places to stay, so they bedded down to become the first guests in what became an ice hotel. So get creative with ideas for ice, you may well stumble upon a great new trend!