Crashed Ice is Coming Back to Quebec, and this Hoser's checking it out!
Posted on January 31, 2012 • 3 minutes • 476 words
It’s getting to that time again in the winter season when athletes from around the world (30 nations!) compete in what can only be described as one of those most awesome sports ever created! These athletes come from all walks of life. Professional BMXers, Skateboarders, Speed Skaters, and Hockey players strap on their pads, and hurl themselves down a fabricated course through the streets filled with thousands of cheering fans. Sounds pretty nuts, but guess who’s planning on attending this year?! [caption id=“attachment_3925” align=“aligncenter” width=“502” caption=“Photo by RedBull”][/caption] While I’d love to say I’m crazy enough (and fit enough) to compete with these guys, chances are I’d get trampled. My skating skills are best left on the outdoor rinks, and not “ice slaloms”. My own skills aside, I decided before the holidays that I was going to try to check it out this year! Seeing and experiencing the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in Old Quebec has been on my bucket list since I first heard of it. Living on the East Coast, it’s now way more feasible to just pop by and it out! [caption id=“attachment_3926” align=“aligncenter” width=“502” caption=“Photo by Redbull”][/caption] When I first heard about Crashed Ice I was blown away. As kids we did almost the exact same thing, only on a smaller scale with a smaller crowd, and without energy drinks. We would play Shinny at the local outdoor rink until we couldn’t feel our toes. -30 degrees celcius and you’d still see us out there, frozen boogers, icy eyelids, rosey cheeks and giant smiles. Being kids, our attention could only be on one thing for so long, and distractions became a routine to a night out at the rink. Our local rink was nearby this big giant hill (giant on a Saskatchewan scale), and one of us had the genius idea of strapping on our skates and using the skates as a make shift “stand-up toboggan”. After the first guinea pig made it down alive, it wasn’t long before we turned it into a competition. I remember telling my parents all about it when we got home and my Dad scornfully laughed as he told us  “You probably wrecked your skates, but way to go!”. Crashed Ice takes place this March in Quebec! Stop by, cheer loud, and keep an eye out for me! [learn_more caption="Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012 calendar:" state=“open”]
- Saint Paul (USA) –January 12-14
- Valkenburg (NED) – February 2-4
- Are (SWE) – February 16-18
- Quebec City (CAN) – March 15-17
[button link=“http://www.redbull.ca/crashedice" color=“lightblue”] Visit the Crashed Ice Website for More Information[/button] [/learn_more] [mappress] I still haven’t decided where I’ll be staying when I travel to Quebec. I’m considering either checking out the local hostels, maybe splurging on a hotel, or going crazy and finding one of the local vacation rentals! Click here to check those out!
