Crashed Ice
Red Bull Crashed Ice is a winter extreme sporting event, which is organized by Red Bull. In 2001, the first event of its kind held in Stockholm. The sport is also known as Ice Cross Downhill or Crashed Ice Contest and contains elements of hockey and snowboard cross. Organized there is a exit with skates on an artificial ice track usually in an urban environment, which includes steep turns, steep gradient and jumps. The participants are mainly hockey players and compete in just such a gear. Since 2010 there are world championships.
History
The sporty comparison of ice skaters and stretcher goes back to an idea of a former snowboarder and ice hockey player from Sweden. The mix consists of one-third boardercross, third and third Hockey Inline Downhill. The company Red Bull had let build a first Eisparcour in the big city Stockholm to host and invited interested athletes to the premiere event in March 2001. 57 participants from 10 countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain, France and even South Africa, had reported to the premiere, it was mainly active hockey player. After all participants saw this at the first event as a great success, this new winter sport established under the constant sponsorship of Red Bull as an annual competition. Initially, the total prize money $ 5,000, which was divided among the top four in each case. In 2007 there was a total of $ 10,000 to win ( 1st place: $ 5000 2nd place = $ 3,000, 3rd place = $ 1,500, 4th place = $ 500).
Because the number of participants and the audience's interest constantly growing, since 2010 an annual World Championship ( World Cup ) will be organized.
German participants in the international competitions there is only since 2009. In Germany the hitherto little-known sporting event was a time advertised as " Ice Cross Downhill ". When appropriate occasions appeared Views that like Rated male and female participants.
Railway, equipment and rules
The Ice skaters start in a kind of ice - Halfpipe ( Eistrack ), which is built in major cities as an open system, with three or four from a start box next to each other. Then it's time to at least 250 meters ( = 1500 feet) long in several curves with small humps, podium and Torhindernissen scale ( from red and blue streamers ) or hairpin curves rink down. In 2007, the train was already 430 meters long and had a height difference of 60 m.
Kit includes ice hockey skates with safety runners, hockey clothing with upholstered parts including back protectors, joint protectors, gloves with protectors and recognized helmets ( hockey helmets with face shield or downhill helmets with goggles). According to the rules usual body checks are allowed, while pushing and bumping will result in disqualification. During the development of the rules currently been amended several times, applies the work of the year 2013.
The competition works according to the knockout system, ie the best ones of three or four races will race against each other, etc. The winner will therefore have to sprint several times the ice track. Speeds of around 60-70 km / h have been measured at Crashed Ice.
Competition System
In the preliminary regional ( Qualifier Events ) participants in international events are determined, in this case a staked a hockey rink courses must be passed as quickly as possible.
In international competitions (since 2010 World Cup runs) the regionally qualified participants and the world leaders come together on to qualification runs. It is a waste of time passes without a direct opponent. The fastest 64 runners then fight in groups of four ( heats ) to reach the finals. The first two runners in the target to the next round until the final four in the final fight for the victory.
The winner of a race gets 1000 World Cup points, second 800, etc. The athlete with the most points at the end of the season is the world champion. The basis for calculation are the placements in designated competitions, the five stations Niagara Falls, Saint Paul, Landgraaf, Lausanne and Quebec are in the year 2012/13 this been laid down.
In the 2014 season, there were only four races: Helsinki ( Finland; February 1 ) Saint Paul (Minnesota ) (United States, February 22 ), Moscow (Russia; March 8 ) and Quebec City ( Canada, 22 March).