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Winter sees some truly magnificent international ice festivals hosted across the world. But there are many other occasions when ice is used to incredible effect—for example, to promote a product or celebrate an anniversary. And what about the ice sculptors themselves? Theirs is a frosty, often anonymous world where few know the names behind works of dazzling skill and shimmering beauty.

Browse this gallery and take a look at ice artists at work, as well as some of the more unusual and less publicized ice sculptures created by them.

▲Is this the coolest ride ever? A pickup truck carved out of ice is taken for a quick spin... before it melts! The vehicle has been carved out of more than 4,989 kg (11,000 lb) of ice as a Canadian battery company prepared the ultimate test for their product. They then drove it slowly for about 1.6 km (1 mi). It took 40 hours to melt.

▲Artist Tjaasa Gusfors poses next to her Jesus Christ ice statue outside Tomaskyrkan church in Västerås, west of Stockholm.

▲Sculptor Duncan Hamilton works on the finishing touches of an installation set in front of the London Eye.

▲Airborne cranes get their wings dusted off before being exhibited at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

▲Festivalgoers are 'filmed' by an ice sculpture shaped like a motion picture camera at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

▲Twilight is reflected off ice sculptures depicting mythical beasts, on display near the peak of Switzerland's Mount Pilatus.

▲Amy Rackham admires an ice sculpture of a Jubilee diamond to mark The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year and the launch of the London Ice Sculpting Festival in the Reuters Plaza at Canary Wharf.

▲An ice version of an Audi Q3 4x4 SUV displayed in the heart of Chamonix ski resort.

▲An artist carves an ice sculpture at Bruges' Ice Sculpture Festival in 2018. The festival is no longer held due to over-tourism and the perceived "Disneyfication" of the event.

▲A youngster gazes in awe at a life-size ice sculpture of a saber-toothed cat, which took center stage at the launch in London of the Royal Mail's new set of Ice Age animal stamps.

▲Detail of an ice sculpture named "Reality," by artist Elena Smirnova and Ivan Smirnov, at the International Ice Sculpture Festival in Jelgava.

▲An ice artist puts the finishing touches to a locomotive in readiness for an ice sculpture festival in the town of Zwolle.

▲Ice sculpture artist Mark Cowan creates a cross out of ice on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade as part of the city's St. Andrew's Day celebrations.

▲Sculptor Roger Mackay puts the finishing touches to Madame Tussauds' first ever ice sculpture of Bella Swan in London, to celebrate the launch of the DVD for the latest film in the 'Twilight' saga.

▲Artists work on their ice sculpture, called "Faceless," as they prepare for the Magical Ice of Siberia festival in Krasnoyarsk.

▲A highly detailed ice sculpture of a totem pole stands tall at the non-official ice sculpting world championships called Tatry Ice Master, in Starý Smokovec.

▲The Ski Alpine Skiing World Cup Preview at Schladming is promoted using ice sculptures in the shape of a giant snowflake and a slalom skier.

▲A young visitor poses with ice sculptures at Winter Wonderland's Magical Ice Kingdom in Hyde Park, London.

▲Two young children get front row seats at Winter Wonderland's Magical Ice Kingdom in Hyde Park, London.

▲A lion roars at Winterlude, the annual winter festival held in Ottawa.

▲To celebrate the 70th birthday of King Harald V of Norway, an ice sculpture was created outside the Royal Palace in Oslo.

▲A sculptor working from a 3D illustration carves a sculpture depicting Mainz Cathedral during the Eiswelt Mainz Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival. The event no longer takes place.

▲A life-sized sculpture of Caesar on horseback made entirely of ice towers over Londoners in Covent Garden to celebrate the release of 'War for the Planet of the Apes' (2017) on Blu-ray and DVD.

▲An ice carver from China chips colored ice as he works on an ice sculpture for the Jerusalem Ice Festival.

▲A woman swipes frost next to a bunny ice sculpture during an ice and snow festival at the 8 Lakes Resort outside Almaty.

▲A display of ice flower sculptures are smoothed out before being set up for public viewing in Tokyo.

▲A visitor looks at one of the ice sculptures created at London's first ever Ice Sculpting Festival held at the Natural History Museum in Kensington.

▲An artist works on his ice sculpture in central Madrid, ahead of the On Ice Madrid exhibition.

▲Created by Brazilian artist Néle Azevedo, this sculpture is part of a melting work of art that represented a performance called "Monumento Minimo." It lasted just a couple of hours.

▲A newlywed couple pose for their wedding photographs in front of an ice sculpture after their group wedding ceremony at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

▲London's Primrose Hill is noted for its fine city panorama of famous landmarks. Here's more or less the same view condensed and created in ice.

▲An inmate from a regional prison finishes an ice sculpture for decoration at an internal prison yard in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

▲Artist, sculptor, and painter Mark Ranasinghe winging it at his studio in Dubai.

▲A decorative princess waves to the crowds at Bruges' Ice Sculpture Festival. The event has since been discontinued.

▲People view an ice sculpture of a penguin shopping in London's Leicester Square.

▲An ice statue called "Where do dreams swim to?" exhibited at the International Ice Sculpture Festival in Jelgava.

▲Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology, in full flight at the Festival of Ice Sculpture at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

▲An ice sculpture carved in the image of a child, made from water taken from the Yellow, Yangtze, and Ganges rivers, seen at the Temple of Earth Park in Beijing.

▲A London resident takes time out to pose against an ice sculpture of a clock in Parliament Square, this to highlight global warming.

▲A carved representation of part of Anne Frank's diary is included in the exhibition of ice sculptures at Zwolle.

▲Visitors are given an ice cold welcome at the Lake Louise Ski Resort prior to the start of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup.

▲Ten different holiday scenes made from ice greet the crowds at ICE!, the winter ice sculpture show at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland.

▲Sculptor Sven Morawietz of Germany carves a sculpture of a diver at the Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival in Hasselt.

▲Daria Krupenyova, from the town of Prokopyevsk in Kemerovo, finishes working on an ice sculpture called "Cossack's Duty" during the Magical Ice of Siberia festival in Krasnoyarsk.

▲An official adjusts an ice sculpture before rededication ceremonies at the Old Post Office Building in St. Louis, Missouri. The sculpture recreates the building's historic facade.

▲Sculptor Dmitriy Klimenko shapes his ice sculpture into a winter scarecrow dedicated to Maslenitsa, or "Pancake Week", in St. Petersburg.

▲Celebrity tattoo artist Henry Hate helps launch the Nissan Cube car in London with his installation "Cube in a Cube." It's a giant ice cube, etched with tattoos, enclosing the vehicle.

▲Artist Wenistus Asanga Amerasinghe—one of the world's most revered ice sculptors—creates an astronaut ice sculpture at the Ice Box HQ in London.

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Tools of the trade: besides axes and chainsaws, ice sculptors also use an array of smaller implements to get the job done.