Mikko Leppilampi, a Finnish actor and celebrity with an affinity for the speed and action in Ice Cross Downhill, was going all out on his skates at speeds above 50 km/h down the Red Bull Crashed Ice track in Jyväskylä in Friday's Shootouts with high hopes of earning a spot in Saturday's finals. But Leppilampi, who has appeared in 30 films in Finland yet always dreamed of a career in sports, crashed hard into a protective wall on his first run down the 630-meter long track with its 66-meter vertical drop and made a decision that at the age of 37 he should probably concentrate on his day job – acting and the entertainment industry.
"The first run was pretty scary because I was a bit shaky and don't really have a routine," said Leppilampi. "I had a bad crash but it was my own fault. So I didn't know what was coming ahead of me and felt like I was almost blindfolded going down there. I got surprised at every turn: 'Whoa, there's a big bump there' and then 'Whoa, there's a rock drop'. I had the wrong line and crashed into the wall. Luckily I didn't hurt myself too badly. I managed to do two more runs and by the third run it was feeling comfortable and fun."
He ended up 68th, just missing out on the 64-man finals.
"I started backing off a bit after that crash," he said. "You have to balance stuff and think about what's important. This sport is getting harder every year, the tracks are getting harder and the guys are training harder. The quality of the sport is getting so much better so you can't just show up without and practice and go."
Leppilampi missed out making it to his third straight final in Finland after qualifying for the 64-man finals in Helsinki the last two years but he nevertheless has his hands full doing Snapchats, social media and MC work at the race at the Laajis ski resort. He even entertained some of the Ice Cross Downhill athletes hours later at the bar with his singing.
Leppilampi competing in Helsinki in 2015 against Cameron Naasz, Marco Dallago and Kilian Braun. Photo: Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool.
Leppilampi sees a bright future for the world's fastest sport on skates – especially in Finland, a nation that loves speed, racing, courage and sports with ice in them. He thinks all tracks should be as long as the 630-meter natural ice track in Finland, the longest the sport has ever had.
"The interest in Finland in Red Bull Crashed Ice is growing every year, it's growing all the time," he said. "They're building all these Ice Cross Downhill tracks in Finland and it's becoming a lifestyle for these guys. They work, save money and spend their money on these races. I think it's great. There's an opportunity for a reality series on TV if you followed guys like this, how they're building a new sport."
Looking into the future...Leppilampi predicts big things for Ice Cross Downhill in the next few years. Photo: Balazs Gardi/Red Bull Content Pool.
Leppilampi, who loves to skate and grew up playing hockey, believes the sport is ideally suited to the mentality of Finns. "Finland has always been a racing nation, Rally, Formula 1 and harness racing," he said. "People like this kind of sport. We're outside, ice is the element, we're racing, there's adrenaline, there's tough guys and girls out here. This is a great sport for Finnish people. We've had five races here in the last three years. Of all the countries in the world that have winter sports Finland is one of the four countries that always wants to host these races."
WATCH IT LIVE: Red Bull Crashed Ice Jyväskylä-Laajis will broadcast live on redbullcrashedice.com and Red Bull TV at 7:15pm CET on January 30. 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.
US fans please note that the live webcast and replay is geo-blocked in the US due to an exclusive broadcast deal with FOX Sports. The event will air on FOX Sports 1 on Monday, February 15 at 4:30pm EST. Following this it will be available on demand at Red Bull TV.