Crashed Ice: The Next Big Thing?

     Crashed Ice. A name that is quite deceptive. At the first glance the name seems to promote some kind of extreme hockey sport. And if you guessed that it had to do with ice, you'd be correct. However, it is the furthest thing from hockey.
     Crashed Ice, or downhill ice cross as it's called outside of the Red Bull Crashed Ice tournament, is an urban downhill ice skating competition. The racers, in groups of four, participate in a tournament-style competition that takes place on a track set in various urban areas around the world.

A normal Crashed Ice course has quite a few sharp drops, jumps, berms and steep turns as shown below: 



The Crashed Ice 2012 course in Quebec, Canada during the day.



The same course, at a different angle, during the night.

       It's hard to see from these angles, but these Crashed Ice courses are some of the most technically difficult courses ever contrived by human minds. Add to that difficulty three other racers that are trying to get to the bottom of the course before you are and you have Crashed Ice. It presents some of the most intense and rewarding experiences that a skater can ever experience.

      While Crashed Ice is relatively new to the realm of sports, it has gained a massive following. Over 112,000 fans flocked to St. Paul on January 27th, 2013 to see the second race of the season. I don't think I have ever see so many people flock to see a sport like this outside of major league baseball or football.

     And Crashed Ice isn't the only extreme sport that Red Bull has been putting on. Over the course of the next year, Red Bull will be hosting numerous events that push pro athletes to their limit and test how much a human body can endure.
     To view the first video in the Crashed Ice 2012 series go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVvJWvL6b5I&list=SP1EFA29AAD906D110&index=15.

     For more information go to redbullsignatureseries.com.