Prestigious snow carvers from around the world will call North Lake Tahoe home Feb. 8-12 for the region’s first- Carve Tahoe competition, with the judging take place Feb. 13.

The weeklong international snow sculpture contest is specifically geared for spectators who will view firsthand 20-ton blocks of pure snow shaped and carved into breathtaking masterpieces. The competing teams are the best of the best – selected from the event’s top applicants and representing more than 20 countries.

Lawrence Nobel, the lead judge of Carve Tahoe, is an award-winning sculptor and illustrator who previously designed a gold medal for the 1984 Olympics and created George Lucas’ Yoda Sculpture in the Presidio in San Francisco.

Northstar’s village will host Carve Tahoe.

While the highlight of Carve Tahoe is the talent and skill of the carvers from Finland, Germany, Japan, Russia, Canada and the United States, charitable donations also play a key role. According to event organizers, every dollar donated per spectator per vote will go directly to a local nonprofit.