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The Next Big Winter Sport

It may seem counterintuitive, but winter is a great time for sports. This is common knowledge; almost everyone is familiar with hockey, curling, skiing, and the like. One winter sport, however, has flown under the radar for over 20 years: ice cross downhill, or Red Bull Crashed Ice.

Ice cross downhill is like roller derby on ice. Skaters race along a frozen track of turns, inclines, and jumps, all while trying not to get knocked down. These athletes move scarily fast, at up to 80 km/h. They put the “extreme” in extreme sports.

The first event was held in Sweden, but events have since been held in Canada, the US, Ireland, and more. Since the tracks are so large and complex, they are constructed temporarily. The events, hosted exclusively by Red Bull until 2019, run for just a few days in each location.

Although the sport is old enough to rent a car, it’s still mostly unknown. Although, ice cross downhill has been featured at the X Games. Many fans look forward to the day that the sport is added to the winter Olympics.