Red Bull Crashed Ice is coming to Belfast this month, for one of the largest outdoor events the country and the competition will ever see.
Stormont Estate will host one of the four stages that will decide this year’s Ice Cross Downhill World Championships, on the 20th and 21st of February.
140 competitors from around the world will battle it out in a high-octane, full-contact race on a 440m course designed specifically for Belfast, in front of a crowd of 40,000 spectators. As if the sub-zero temperatures weren’t frightening enough, the skaters will hit speeds of up to 60km per hour, so for those going, get a good seat, because they won’t be hanging around for long, much like the tickets, which can be found here, at £11 for an adult, £5.75 for a child, or £28 for a family of four.
The European leg of the qualification happened on the 9th and 10th of January, in Dublin and Belfast, where former Red Bull Crashed Ice competitor and Belfast Giants legend and, Graeme Walton, was at the qualification stage as a judge. Seeing as he is the current coach of the Giants, he probably knows a few things about lads on ice. Here he takes the hopeful contestants through their paces.
It’s too late to qualify now, but maybe keep it in mind for next year, Walton was full of words of encouragement. “If you’re willing to skate you’re halfway there, but there’s so much freestyle stuff like jumping over and under pillars and around obstacles. There’s a lot of work, and a lot of practice, but it’s a great sport to take up, and the only way to get better is to start practising”
And you’d need the practise, because Walton was quick reassure the course isn’t something to take lightly. “There’ll be a lot of jumps, a lot of twists and turns, and some great speed sections. It’s your typical Red Bull event, just craziness to be honest. The course looks amazing, and all the spectators will be able to view it perfectly because it’s set out so well.”
Excited? Yeah, we thought so. Now go get your tickets before it's too late, enjoy.
