The course and race format for Red Bull Crashed Ice

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The course and race format for Red Bull Crashed Ice

The course and race format for Red Bull Crashed Ice

It was anyone’s race tonight as six-time champion Jasper Felder from Stockholm, Sweden and two-time champion Kevin Olson of Lethbridge, Alberta, were eliminated in the third and second round respectively. Despite leading their heats as they approached the finish, both succumbed to the same two-foot drop before being passed by competing skaters. Set against Old Quebec’s stunning landscape, this one-of-a-kind course featured hairpin turns, big-air jumps and vertical drops usually reserved for draw bridges. With a start at the Château Frontenac skaters immediately stormed downhill along rue du Fort reaching speeds of over 50 km/hr before they hit a steep right turn in front of Hôtel de la Poste (Post Office.) Flying down Côte de la Montagne and directly under Porte Prescott, skaters encountered the steepest part of the track making a sharp left at the infamous Escalier Casse-Cou, otherwise known as “Breakneck Stairway”. Before hitting the bottom of the hill, skaters were faced with the course’s most intimidating jumps followed by a sprint down Place Royale.With glory and the Saint Lawrence again in sight, the skaters navigated down the stairs of rue de la Place and hit the finish on Place de Paris. Only the skilled skaters made their way back to the top for another go until one racer was crowed King of the Crashed Ice course.

Construction of this discipline-twisting course took over a three-week period. Approximately 100 pairs of Quebéc’s strongest hands were on deck as 60 cases (4ft x 4ft x 4ft, 1700 pounds each) of crashed ice was spread across the streets of Old Québec. Along with physical might, a cooling system was used to ensure the sleek and smooth ice surface which helped produce the right temperature. Polymer boards were used to keep competitors on the track and fans from harm’s way.

But, who’s kidding whom, they also served as the rhythm board for the thousands of fans cheering the next heat of racers. Canada’s fastest and most skilled came from coast-to-coast after successfully demonstrating their speed at one of 11 qualifier events held in December. They were joined by a select few invited International athletes. Over 100 athletes competed in a qualifying round on Friday night where the top 64 were identified setting the stage for an exciting final. To determine a champion, consecutive heats of four skaters in a double elimination bracket narrowed the field down from the top 64 qualifiers to a final four. With the last four at the start line it was fastest to the bottom that was crowded Red Bull Crashed Ice champion.The Red Bull Crashed Ice celebrations culminated with a free open air concert featuring Canada’s own, Three Days Grace. The band played the anthems to a stoked crowd at Parc de la Francophonie (Pigeonnier).

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