Skate-Hockey-Skatercross Race
Red Bull Crashed Ice Race rocks Quebec City, March 3.
A crazy ice-skating/boardercross combination race called Red Bull Crashed Ice that defies logic and description is run annually, and this year it's in Quebec City, Quebec
Some kind of wacky wintersport race that combines "downhill ice skating" (what?) with hockey and "skatercross" ( kind of boardercross on ice skates) will be run in Quebec City on March 3, 2007.
Who thinks these things up, anyway?
The Red Bull Crashed Ice in Québec City is the last—or championship race—in a series of races that have been run in 14 cities across Canada. Other trials have been run internationally.
It runs on a 430-meter course with a 60-meter total vertical drop that starts from the famed Château Frontenac Hotel, overlooking St. Lawrence River, and zig-zags through the streets of Vieux-Québec (the old city). The course features is described as a "demanding urban ice course that features whoops, berms, turns, curves and steep chutes."
Who thinks these things up, anyway?
Skaters negotiate sharp turns, hit jumps and crash into each other on the lit course. Lit course? Of course. Would you stage anything as nuts as this during the daytime? It’s purported to be by far the most challenging ever built for Red Bull Crashed Ice. Faster, steeper, longer.
Here’s the official course description:
Racers will reach speeds of over 60 km/hr before hitting a steep right turn in front of the Post Office, which sits across from the Parc Montmorency . . . This is where the real fun starts.
Skaters will battle for position as they shoot down Côte de la Montagne and directly under Porte Prescott, one of the remaining arches of the original fortifications that surround Vieux-Québec. Then, in the middle of the steepest part of Côte de la Montagne, the track will make a sharp left at the level of the infamous Escalier Casse-Cou, otherwise known as "Breakneck Stairway". Before hitting the bottom of the hill, skaters will literally fly over the Parc de la Cétiere before careening down on Place Royale where, fittingly, scenes were shot for the Hollywood blockbuster "Catch Me If You Can".
It’s also home to the oldest church in North America. No time for prayer however, as one last sprint down the stairs of rue de la Place and the skaters will hit the finish on Place de Paris, only a few yards from the powerful currents that seemed so peaceful atop the course, the waters of the Saint Lawrence River.
To determine a champion, consecutive heats of four skaters racing head-to-head in a double elimination bracket narrows the field from the top 64 qualifiers to a final four.
The event, we’re told, requires skating skills, agility, strength and a whole lot of guts. Its publicists call it "Definitely the sports event of the year, not to be missed."
Event producers require that each competitor be 18 years and over.
Like you’re going to allow your 12 year-old to do this?
Full hockey pads, gloves, helmets and hockey skates are required.
Really?
In case you’re interested, here’s a list of past Red Bull Crashed Ice results.
- Sweden - 2000 - Champion: Jasper Felder
- 2001- Klagenfurt, Autriche - Champion: Jasper Felder
- Duluth, Minnesota - 2003/2004 - Champion: Jasper Felder
- Moscow, Russia - 2004 - Champion: Jasper Felder
- Prague, Czech Republic - 2005 - Champion: Jasper Felder
- Québec City, Canada - 2006 - Champion: Gabriel Andre
Wait a minute—just who is this Jasper Felder, anyway?
And, just who thinks up these thing up?
