Flin Flon’s snow lodge is gone for the season, but those responsible for building the structure are calling it a red-hot success.

The ice-and-snow building, inspired by the famed Icehotel in northern Sweden and other snow and ice structures built in southern Manitoba, was knocked down this week after crowds came from near and far to see it.

“It passed all expectations. It was just such a beautiful structure. The lighting, the people’s sense of place inside of it, the artwork, the community,” said organiser Crystal Kolt, one of the people who helped start the project.

Dave Koop, one of the main builders, said, “The best part was the amount of families that came and visited through the wintertime. The kids were just squealing with glee when they saw it.”

Construction on the lodge started in December, using snow brought by volunteers and local contractors, and ice bricks harvested with chainsaws from a nearby pond.

An opening ceremony was held Jan. 30, featuring the Flin Flon Community Choir, hoop dancers and other performers. LED lights and snow and ice sculptures from local carvers and artists festooned the inside. The lodge also included a bedroom, where lead architect Peter Hargraves stayed for the first night.

Tipi teachings were held nearby, and snowshoe and walking trails were made through the area, along with an outdoor skating and hockey rink. The rink was built on the same pond the ice bricks were cut from. A nearby prospector tent gave people a place to warm up and learn about the community’s mining history.

The lodge was the town’s go-to event space over the winter. Concerts were held there, as were meetings with local officials and provincial cabinet ministers. A wedding took place inside its snowy confines. The nearby Rotary Wheel building hosted a market for local small businesses.

The lodge closed with a weekend festival, dubbed the Final Frost, in late March. It was opened again for a short time after public demand and a quick cold snap.

“There was a community that came in and out for those three days. It was just a lovely community hug — that’s the way I would describe it,” Kolt said.

Temperatures in Flin Flon climbed up over 0 C last month, then higher in early April. Demolition work began after one last get-together of volunteers and workers.

“We sort of wanted to let it melt and fall in, but it looks like for safety reasons, we’re going to have to force it to come down with heavy equipment,” Koop said.

“Otherwise, it would have been a pleasure to kind of watch it melt slowly.”

One of the biggest goals of the project was to bring visitors to the north in the winter, a time when tourism can slow down.

“We’re quite excited about the number of people that came and visited — not just locals, but people from all over Canada and internationally, as well,” Koop said.

“I think through the beginning stages, we weren’t sure how this was all going to turn out. We fortunately had enough really good volunteers in the area and local skill to help out. Without that help, this would never have gotten done.”

With the lodge now only a pile of melting snow chunks, plans are already being made for next year. The goal is to build back even bigger next year, although fundraising, grant-seeking and potentially even corporate sponsorship may be needed to do it.

“Based on the excitement of the people I’ve met in the community, they’re really looking forward to us doing it again next year,” Koop said.

There was one unexpected hurdle for the project. On the opening weekend, someone stole one of the doors off the lodge and drove off with it. It was eventually found and replaced, but Kolt said the theft gave her an idea for next year.

“We’re going to always have a door ceremony. We’re going to get the RCMP to bring the door. It’ll be the beginning of the snow lodge every year,” she said.

“We’re grateful for little miracles like that.”