Inside ice!: Master carvers begin sculpting Polar Express at Gaylord Palms Resort

Chainsaws, chisels and 1,000 tons of ice: Christmas is taking shape at Gaylord Palms Resort.On Tuesday morning, hundreds of Gaylord Palms employees lined an indoor walkway with welcome signs and noisemakers to cheer the arrival of dozens of ice carvers who traveled more than 7,000 miles from Harbin, China, to begin sculpting this year’s ice! attraction.The team will spend roughly a month transforming 2 million pounds of ice into approximately one dozen larger-than-life scenes from “The Polar Express” inside a 9-degree, 20,000-square-foot walk-through experience.“These artisans are family members. They’re either related in some capacity, but this is a true artistry within their culture — artistry that is passed on from generation to generation,” said Meghan Hash, director of special events and entertainment.Harbin — known as “Ice City” — is home to the world’s largest annual snow and ice carving festival. The Polar Express last appeared at Gaylord Palms’ ice! in 2019, and its return com