This weekend the Red Bull Crashed Ice season continues with a race in Jyväskylä-Laajis, Finland. It will be the only venue this season with a 100% natural ice track – and a natural ice track is much more challenging than an artificial one, so this will be an interesting event, guaranteed.
The basic structure of an ice cross downhill track made of natural ice does not differ from an artificial track. The thickness of the ice is the same, approximately 10 - 15 centimetres. However, there are two key elements that separate a natural ice track from an artificial one: the surface of the ice and the fact that the ice almost has a life of its own. The surface of a natural ice track will always be bumpier than that of an artificial ice track, which presents an extra challenge even for the most skilful of skaters. In addition to that, the condition of a natural ice track changes due to wear and weather conditions during the race more than it does on an artificial track.
The surface of natural ice is bumpier and it 'lives' throughout the competition more than the surface of artificial ice does. Photo: Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool.
The track in Jyväskylä is the longest one featured on the Red Bull Crashed Ice tour. Responsible for building the over 600 metres long track with a 66-metre vertical drop is the president of the Finnish All Terrain Skate Cross (ATSX) Association Arttu Pihlainen. Pihlainen is also a former Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion, so he has a pretty good idea of how an athlete feels about a natural ice track. "The ice rattles under you much more, so you have to be awake all the time and react to the shape of the surface. Good skaters can use their ankles in order to get a good grip of the ice", Pihlainen explains.
The long and steep natural ice track of Jyväskylä / Laajis is tough and challenging even for the most skilful of skaters. "The track favours those who are in good shape physically and are able to do five runs at full throttle even on a more challenging track", Pihlainen sums up. Top skaters are familiar with natural ice tracks, and the challenges they present, also from the training season. In recent years, ice cross downhill training has developed and become more professional, so many of the top athletes get to train on their own natural ice tracks during the winter. Additionally, year-round training with inline skates in skate parks and on pump tracks has prepared the athletes for the challenges of natural ice tracks.
Equipment-wise, preparing for the natural ice track doesn't differ from the races held on artificial ice. "Athletes use customised blades, which are higher than those on regular ice-skates. This way the skate won't jolt so easily when it hits a crack in the ice. You can play with blade shapes in different conditions, but these choices are influenced by the weather conditions, not the ice-making method", Pihlainen says.
Riders take their first leap over the daunting BF Goodrich Rock Drop during training. Photo: Victor Engström/Red Bull Content Pool/Red Bull Content Pool.
Of the four Red Bull Crashed Ice races, Jyväskylä is the only one on natural ice. According to Pihlainen, different tracks are a good thing for the sport and for the championship. "We should get some more ice cross downhill tracks. Some of them could very well be natural ice tracks. It will do the sport good, if we are able to create races with different conditions, different profiles and in different locations", Pihlainen muses. "When building natural ice tracks, you just have to be absolutely sure about the weather".
This weekend, 20-21 January, the Red Bull Crashed Ice athletes will fight for victory on the natural ice track in Jyväskylä, with temperatures just below freezing. What is certain, is that we are in for thrilling race on the longest track of the championship.
Watch it Live
Red Bull Crashed Ice Finland will broadcast LIVE on redbullcrashedice.com and Red Bull TV on January 21st at 6:00 PM CET (5:00 PM GMT).
Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of supported devices visit about.redbull.tv.
If you miss the event or simply want to watch all the action again, the replay will be available on demand a few minutes after the event.