THUNDER BAY -- Joshua Dunn can now say he has been through the world’s largest snow maze.
The 12-year-old was one of those in attendance on Sunday at Fort William Historical Park’s annual Winter Carnival, where it was confirmed their massive creation had set the new Guinness World Record for the largest snow maze.
“It gives me bragging rights for sure,” Joshua said after going through it, adding it was his favourite part of the carnival.
His companion, 12-year-old Matty Doran, summed up the scale of the maze.
“Next time I’ll bring a GPS,” he said.
Their maze, which encompasses 1,696 square metres, obliterated the previous record of 1,194 that had been set in 2010 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Story continues after video...
Sergio Buonocore, general manager of Fort William Historical Park, said building the giant maze took a tremendous amount of time and effort.
“It took quite a bit of effort from our staff. We built a unique tool to build the walls,” he said.
“It took a considerable amount of time. We had been at it since December and it’s a huge structure.”
Chilly temperatures, with wind chill values below – 30C for much of the day, may have played a part in some people choosing to stay home.
But organizers were pleased so many people bundled up and came to take part in their celebration.
“The people that are here are having a good time,” Buonocore said. “The weather could have been a little warmer but we have a good crowd so we’re very happy.”
Cheryl Fowler, who accompanied Joshua and Matty, said the weather wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
“Yesterday was colder,” she said. “This was the perfect day for us to come out.”
In addition to the snow maze, this year’s winter carnival offered helicopter rides which were sold out throughout the entire weekend.
There were also a number of outdoor activities such as tubing, tobogganing, skating and curling. The fort also had a number of indoor activates lined up to give people a break from the frigid weather.
This was the first time Fowler had attended the carnival and she said it exceeded her expectations.
“I didn’t know there were quite so many activities,” Fowler said.
Last year’s winter carnival was highlighted by a snowmobile stunt show that attracted thousands to watch the high-flying manoeuvers.
Buonocore said the fort is continually looking for new attractions to appeal to the public.
“We always want to refresh things,” he said.
“This year we’re going to spend some time looking at all of our events and coming up with brand new events to keep things nice and fresh so the people of Thunder Bay always have something new to see.”
The final day of the carnival concludes on Monday with activities running from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
