Genie telehandler holds ice block while Tavia Wilson and Dave Mason anticipate sculpturing to come.

Donated time on telehandlers from Airport Equipment Rentals Inc (AER) helped volunteers move blocks from a frozen pond for an ice sculpture contest in advance of the 34th annual Peninsula Winter Games. The event occurs on 30 January in Soldotna, which is near the Cook Inlet on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.

"Approximately 100 squares, each weighing about 500 pounds (225 kg), were distributed through the town for the ice sculpture competition," says Jon Teates, outside sales representative in AER's Soldotna branch.

AER supplied two Genie GTH-844 telehandlers, a Wacker 9.7-kw generator and a portable Frost Fighter heater. "Last year, we only needed to provide one reach forklift," Teates recalls.

Members of the Soldotna Rotary Club cut the blocks of ice from a small pond using a traditional handsaw or chain saw. With the telehandlers, they lifted the ice for placement in a truck.

Lynden Inc's multi-mode full-service transport subsidiary provided equipment to relocate the blocks for carving and placement in front of the town's businesses.

In addition to Soldotna, AER has other Alaska locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Deadhorse and Delta Junction and offers a rental inventory with forklifts from the Yale, CareLift and Harlo lines, and telehandlers and other lifts from the JLG and Genie brands.