Even in the dead of winter, nature is the biggest challenge Jared McAlister faces when working with ice.

“Rain will melt it. Sunlight will actually heat the ice from the inside and turn it an opaque white color, which we don’t want,” said McAlister, owner of Glacial Ice Works.

On Wednesday, McAlister and his team were hard at work in a Latrobe warehouse, carving the sculptures that will decorate downtown Ligonier during the 35th annual Ice Fest, set for Jan. 23 to 25.

For returning visitors, the artistry will feel familiar. McAlister purchased the business from the former DiMartino Ice over the summer, and the same veteran team of sculptors is returning to create this year’s pieces.

McAlister’s favorite subjects are animals, real and mythical.

“People don’t always have a preconceived notion of what it should look like,” he said. “You can manipulate the body of something like an owl or a dragon and create a lot of interesting positions. And with mythical animals, you can make any kind you want, and no one can tell you it’s wrong.”

The team will transform roughly 100 blocks of ice — each weighing about 300 pounds — into 62 intricate carvings.

Success depends heavily on the sculptor’s ability to “read” the ice.

“The temperature really affects how the ice will carve,” McAlister said. “ ‘Warm’ ice is a little bit softer. If it’s cold enough and you make a mistake, you can always ‘lick it and stick it’ back on, so to speak.

“The folks we work with have been carving ice for at least a decade. I’ve been carving for 26 years, and I learned under our most experienced carver, Robert Higareda, who’s been doing it probably 10 years longer than me.”

As for McAlister, if he’s not carving, he’ll be keeping a close eye on the sculptures.

“We just try to protect it from whatever elements we’re going to encounter,” he said. “Luckily, this year, it looks like we’re going to have very cold weather.”

The National Weather Service is predicting a high of only 13 degrees for Saturday, bookended by highs in the low 20s on Friday and Sunday.

For more information, call 724-238-4200 or visit Ligonier.com.