Red Bull Crashed Ice for the 2014 Winter Games
The majority of Olympic sports have had their spots in the games for many years and additional sports getting added is somewhat rare. The winter games have seen some improvements with the additions of snowboarding events and skeleton. It’s now time, again, that the winter games opened their doors to the manliest of all winter sports, Icecross Downhill Skating.
On Jan. 20, 2000 this fantastic new sport was first seen as people from all over the world flocked to Stockholm to see the races. It was a spectacular event, despite being designed through a Swedish fish market which overwhelmed spectators and athletes with the smell of fish throughout the event. Since its conception, there have been 14 races in 8 different countries and they have managed to build better tracks that didn’t stink like fish.
Year Location Winner 2009 Lausanne, CH Jasper Felder (SWE) 2009 Prague, CZE Miikka Jouhkamainen (FIN) 2009 Quebec City, CAN Arttu Pihlainen (FIN) 2008 Quebec City, CAN Arttu Pihlainen (FIN) 2008 Davos, SUI Miikka Jouhkamainen (FIN) 2007 Quebec City, CAN Kevin Olson (CAN) 2007 Helsinki, FIN Kevin Olson (CAN) 2006 Quebec City, CAN Gabriel Andre (CAN) 2005 Prague, CZE Jasper Felder (SWE) 2004 Moscow, RUS Jasper Felder (SWE) 2004 Duluth, Minnesota, USA Jasper Felder (SWE) 2003 Duluth, Minnesota, USA Jasper Felder (SWE) 2001 Klagenfurt, AUT Jasper Felder (SWE) 2000 Stockholm, SWE Jasper Felder (SWE)
The track is essentially a big track made of ice. Kind of like a luge or bobsled track except they make it even manlier. Obviously you aren’t going to reach bobslded speeds but what you do have thrown at you are jumps, bumps, stairs and flags made to trip you up. Competitors wear hockey gear and race down the track in a fast and dangerous contact sport that Red Bull has named “Crashed Ice”.
There are two events this year. The first one has already ended. It was held in Munich, Germanyon January 16. The second is to be held in Quebec on March 20. Although registrations are finished and the athletes are now qualifying, you are still able to plan a trip over there to check out the sport.
Found a few videos from Munich this year. In the first one, Claudio Caluori skates the track and talks about how you tackle this 400m sheet of ice on skates.
And the Munich 2010 Results:
Gentlemen, here’s to seeing Icecross Downhill Skating in a winter olympics very soon. I don’t know a man on the planet who wouldn’t want to see it. Spread the word and head out to Quebec for the next event.
For more info, check out the Crashed Ice website.
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