Ice cross downhill world champions Derek Wedge, of Switzerland, Kyle Croxall, of Canada, and Martin Niefnecker, of Germany, warmed up for Saturday's Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Finland with a pack of huskies for a fun-filled training session on a lake near Helsinki – the northern-most race in the 14-year-history of ice cross downhill on a track that is only 800 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle.
Wedge, the defending champion, along with Kyle Croxall, the 2012 title winner and 2010 world champion Niefnecker put their ice skating skills to the unorthodox test as they got up to speeds of 40 kilometres per hour behind a pack of huskies, who were also clearly happy to get in a workout on a sunny but still ice-cold afternoon in Finland.
"That was a fantastic experience to ride behind dogs," said Wedge, who visibly enjoyed the high-speed experience. "It's really interesting to be with the animals on the ice. It's a special sensation." Kyle Croxall also came alive on the ice behind the well-trained huskies. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be pulled around by a dogsled team of huskies," Croxall said. "I really enjoyed it."
Watch it LIVE!
Catch all the action from Red Bull Crashed Ice in Finland live on February 1:
Webcast: We will stream the entire competition live right here on redbullcrashedice.com and on redbull.tv. Please note that the live webcast is geo-blocked in the US. The event will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday, February 2, at 8.30am (ET) / 5.30am (PT).
TV: The main event will be broadcast live on several TV stations. Please check your local listings.
Live Results: To get results and standings in real-time, hit redbullcrashedice.com/results.