For the fourth consecutive year, hundreds of thousands of spectators will gather in our capital city to watch the most fearless of skaters compete in the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship, aka, Red Bull Crashed Ice.
If you’re not familiar with the event, it all started in Stockholm in 2001, when athletes of the sport (think part hockey, part downhill skiing, and part boardercross) first competed for the championship title. The track here is setup with the Cathedral of Saint Paul as its backdrop, on which 200 racers will go head-to-head down a course filled with jumps, turns, and slides. We’re the first of four stops on the world championship tour—the athletes will head to Helsinki, Belfast, and Edmonton next.
If you need to be further convinced of how cool this event really is, it was just named to CNN’s list of 19 Events Worth Traveling For in 2015. The best part though? It’s free. So brave whatever temperature it might be and battle for a front row spot. Here’s a breakdown of the events:
Wednesday, Jan. 21
10 a.m.: St. Paul’s Mayor Coleman straps on skates of his own and takes a run down the track.
Thursday, Jan. 22
4 p.m.: National shootout. 100 U.S. males compete, the first 32 to make it through the course advance.
Friday, Jan. 23
Noon: International shootout. 100 international male athletes race down the course, with the fastest 64 advancing. Also, the women shootout. All women compete and the top 16 advances.
3 p.m.: Elimination round. Male athletes compete four at a time, with the top two from each advancing to the finals.
6 p.m.: Team challenge. The worlds top 24 teams battle in a head-to-head knockout format, earning points to boost their rankings.
9 p.m.-2 a.m.: Welcome Party at the Turf Club. Free and open to the public.
Saturday, Jan. 24
4:30 p.m.: Gates open.
6:30 p.m.: Finals. 64 male athletes race until a championship is crowned. The top 16 female athletes do the same.
5-11 p.m.: Official Crashed Ice Village. Just outside the Xcel Energy Center between Kellogg Avenue and Walnut Street you’ll be able to watch the race on a jumbo screen, warm up by fire pits, listen to music from a mobile DJ, and enjoy food and drinks indoors and outdoors from businesses in the area.
Getting there: There will be free shuttles from these locations, and Metro Transit is offering free rides with this downloaded pass on Jan. 24 from 1 p.m.-midnight.
© Red Bull Media House
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