To create the famous ice palace, Carnaval de Quebec’s lead carver always has one eye on the ice

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Open this photo in gallery: The famous Hôtel de Glace in Valcartier.Anne-Marie Desmarais/Handout “Would you like to see me dance?” Without waiting for an answer, Bonhomme Carnaval, the rotund snowman mascot, leaps into the air and kicks his heels, his jaunty performance backlit by the crystalline glow of the morning sun through ice. During a visit last February, Bonhomme danced for visitors under the looming walls of his ice palace, built across the street from the Quebec Legislature with 2,700 blocks of hand-crafted ice. It’s a routine this beloved character will perform over and over again as Carnaval celebrates its...