All about ice cross downhill:
What is ice cross downhill?
Ice cross downhill (formerly known as Red Bull Crashed Ice or Crashed Ice) is a winter extreme sporting event that involves direct competitive downhill skating on a walled track featuring sharp turns and high vertical drops. It’s similar to ski cross and boardercross, except with ice skates on an ice track, instead of skis or snowboards on a snow track. Ice cross is sanctioned by ATSX, the All Terrain Skate Cross Federation. Racers speed down the course’s turns, berms, and jumps. After racing one after another in the time trials, typically there are
four racers starting each race. Ice cross downhill competitors have typically been ice hockey players. Ice cross downhill competitors are outfitted in ice hockey gear, or in some cases equipment from other downhill sports,
Who invented ice cross downhill?
Red Bull staged the first official ice cross downhill race in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2001. The track was 300m long and was constructed along a series of city streets. The ice used was sourced from a local fish market. Now in its
18th year, Red Bull Crashed Ice races have grown from a spectacle into a genuine sport, with racers from around the globe vying for championship titles.
How are the tracks made?
The tracks are made of steel scaffolding, topped by wood shaped to the desired curves, covered with flexible mats and a network of tubes filled with cooled fluid like glycol — then water is sprayed onto the whole track, slowly building up a 10cm layer of slick ice.
Is ice cross downhill an Olympic sport?
Not yet. It has the potential to be an Olympic event, but has to spread further internationally to meet the Winter Games’ barrier to entry for a new sport. A sport needs to have official organisations in 25 countries for entry, which ice cross downhill does not yet have.
Where are the competitions held?
They’ve been held in Klagenfurt (Austria), Duluth (Minnesota, US) Moscow (Russia) Prague (Czech Republic), and Quebec City Canada). The first ever Ice Cross Downhill
World Championship competition took place in 2010, and by 2011 the sport had drawn more than 100,000 fans to a Crashed Ice event in Quebec City.
What makes it exciting to watch?
The races last less than a minute but each second is high action. “Racers tuck into drops, soar over jumps, jostle around turns; they fall and pop back up, they sprint on straightaways, and they give every ounce of energy vying for the win,” says Steven John in Insider magazine. He adds: “A 300m to 350m racecourse leaves no room for error — take a turn too wide, and you lose that half-second that might make the difference at the finish line. Come off a jump too high, and your competitor might be able to turn inside. Fall, and that’s it, you’ve lost the heat.”
How fast do the racers go?
75kph.
Are women involved in the sport?
Yes. For example, there’s champion skater Jacqueline Legere, a Canadian stuntwoman and ice cross downhill athlete who is currently competing in Red Bull Crashed Ice.
Who are the current champions of ice cross downhill?
Dmitrij Murlychkin of Russia and Veronika Windisch of Austria are the current Ice Cross World Champions.
How old do you have to be to compete?
You have to be over 16 years old to compete in ice cross downhill racing.
People think that because I’m South African I won’t be able to stay on my feet, but I can, and I’m good!
PAUL AEGERTER