You may not have heard of ‘Ice cross’ before but if you have, you’ll already know it’s (arguably) the most exciting high adrenaline sport on frozen water that’s been thought up so far on planet earth. Imagine ski cross or boarder cross but put the competitors in hice hockey gear and a fenced in course of downhill ice, surrounded by tens of thousands of over excited fans and you get the picture.
It’s the perfect sport for Red Bull to sponsor and the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition kicks off each winter in Québec City, Canada.
The good news is that we even have Brits who are great at it – one of them our first ever Olympic ski medallist, Alain Baxter.
Québec City
The Red Bull Crashed Ice and this eastern Canadian City have a long history together in terms of this very modern sport. Since 2006, the provincial capital has hosted the World Championship final on nine occasions – more than any other city. The edition earlier this winter was the 10th race in the French-speaking city, the perfect place for the opening of the biggest ice cross downhill season ever. In fact with a total of ten races, the 2015/16 season will be the biggest in the 16-year history of the fastest sport on skates.
How Do You Win ?
Cameron Naasz (USA)
Ice cross downhill skating is a tactical, physical and the fastest sport on skates. The format is straightforward, the fastest two riders in each four-person heat advance through a round of 64, a round of 32, to quarter finals and semi finals to finally face in the final four. Each stage offers an opportunity to earn points. The rider with the highest score of points at the end of the season is crowned World Champion. 2015 has been an intense and busy year for ice cross downhill skating. As the sport continues to grow, an international federation has recently been created, and there’s also now an amateur course to encourage new participants. This year for the first time there is be a women’s competition at each Red Bull Crashed Ice race with a female World Champion crowned at the end of the season. Quebec City hosted the very first race of this new female World Championship.
What Qualities Does The Ice Cross Downhiller Need ?
Dean Moriarity (CAN), Scott Croxall (CAN), Dylan Moriarity (CAN), Cameron Naasz (USA)
Ice cross downhill skating is a demanding sport which requires perfect balance, agility, and stamina. Athletes joining the competition come from various sports, even though most of them have a hockey background. As the sport develops an ever increasing level of professionalism is required though, in order to be the best and for those expecting to be on the podium, raw talent is not enough anymore. Athletes now train all year round. The competition is tougher than ever. This new trend was initiated by the Dallago brothers, skating for victory, who put in a strong training programme ahead of the new season, video analysis, studying their races as skiers do. They are not only physically ready but mentally too. There is no room left to chance in order to collect points in the first stage.
The Epic Ice Track
This year’s Quebec City competition marked the start of a new era. This season the Red Bull Crashed Ice track is designed specifically for more experienced riders – in other words, the ost challenging yet.
“Each athlete is a proven rider, so we’ve gone further in the technical aspect of track design to push their limits,” said Red Bull Crashed Ice Sport Director Christian Papillon. The track construction required a team of 12 ice makers spraying water on the refrigerated mats 24 hours a day for six days to create the ice surface. Built in the city centre, stretching 460 meters from the start goes on to encompass seven turns and features at the Parliament Building, down to the finish at Place D’Youville. The track uses natural terrain as much as possible and is mainly shaped on natural hillsides of the park. It includes jumps, hairpin turns, rollers and gaps. The riders, who all wear helmets, padding and protection, reach speed of over 50 km/h.
The track requires complete concentration from top to bottom :
“There’s a 12-metre-long triple jump in the middle of the track that is complicated by battling side-by-side and being tired and maybe unbalanced by the time they reach it. They have to think quickly and make decisions, which can be simple – or a killer,” states Papillon. Morning training sessions help the athletes determine the right tactic to use.
The fun starts Friday night with first the Team Competition followed by Women’s and Men’s World Championship competition on Saturday. In Quebec the man to beat was a Canadian, Scott Croxall, who captured the 2015 title and was crowned World Champion in Edmonton last season.
Alain Baxter’s Return To Winter Sports
Used to coming to Quebec when he was a ski racer, the Scottish skiing legend Alain Baxter has carved out a whole new career racing on the ice. Now retired from skiing for six years, Baxter found all of the pieces were there for a successful return to extreme sports: the skating, the jumps and the familiar run against the clock.
The daredevil was looking forward to build on a strong start to the season during this first stage but on his fastest lap during the qualifying runs, Baxter crashed heavily on the last three rollers before the final bend. He still managed to get up on skates to the finish but medical exams revealed the former Olympian had broken three ribs and bruised a lung – putting him out of the competition. Despite his bad fall he had actually scored a run fast enough to make it to the finals. Amongst the older racers in this new sport, the 42 years old admits it’s harder to deal with impacts, but is certainly delighted to compete again.
The Quebec Race Results
Cameron Naasz (USA)
Croxall battled hard to defend his title in the World championship competition but the American Cameron Naasz, second in 2015 and third in 2014, was looking to finally win the title this year and found his reward at last. It was not a small job with competitors of such calibre like the Moriarity brothers constantly pushing the limits.
“There is no secret, work hard and commit yourself,” was Cameron Naasz’s explanation of how he won.
In the women’s competition Canadian former hockey player, Myriam Trépanier, who didn’t want to risk injury during her career, only joined the adventure last year but took the victory in Quebec.
“I did not expect to win this stage. I was taking part in this competition with a different mindset,” said Trépanier, “I want to go through the steps one by one, race by race.”
Make The Most of Your Time in Québec City
Quebec City is one of North America’s oldest and most magnificent cities – very unlike most others on the continent (and not just because the first language spoken here is French). A UNESCO World Heritage Site for the past 30 years, it feels like an old European walled city. Quebec City’s compact size makes it ideal for walking and discovering the picturesque Old Town, split between the upper and lower town, connected by a funicular.
For skiers and boarders Québec City enjoys a fantastic location, surrounded by three ski resorts, the closest only 30 minutes’ drive from the centre: Mont-Sainte-Anne, Stoneham and Le Massif. The region offers fantastic terrain within an easy commute unlike any other in North America.
Mont-Sainte-Anne and Le Massif are renowned for the breath-taking views of the St. Lawrence River from their slopes. Stoneham has the largest number of runs for night skiing in the country and also has a great terrain park and hosts World cup snowboarding competitions.
Next Stop For Ice Cross, The Winter Olympics ?
It was a triumphant return of The Red Bull Crashed Ice contest to Quebec City in front of a huge crowd.
The sport’s massive growth and ass appeal has attracted the interest of the IOC who are now reported to be considering integrateing the ice cross downhill skating in to its calendar and thus bring in new blood to the Game. It’s evidence that the fastest sport on skates is well on the track.
The next stop of Red Bull Crashed Ice passes through Europe in Jyväskylä / Laajis – Finland – on 29-30 January. Find out more at www.redbullcrashedice.com
Credit – Red Bull
