Ice Cross Downhill
General Rules
- Majority of the ice cross downhill competitions consist of 4 separate Red Bull Crashed Ice races where the best performances in any 3 tracks are added together to determine the champion.
- If two competitors have the same points, then the number achieved during the first crashed ice competition ranking is considered to determine the winner. However, if it still results as a tie, then second ranking in the respective events are considered. If a tie between the players still retains then a shootout event is conducted to determine the winner.
- A participant must finish the race by placing the front tip of the skate blade to the finish line.
- The participants are entirely forbidden to intentionally kick the skate towards the finish line or throw their body through the finish line. This immediately leads to the participant's disqualification from the event. The rider has to maintain their skate's control.
- If any competitor accidentally trips down or falls close enough to the finishing line and still his/her ice blade's front tip touches or reaches to the finishing line, yet it is counted as a complete race.
- The first and second riders who have crossed the finish line prior to all other participants are sent to the next round.
- If any rider doesn't reach the finish line in the first round, then they are not allowed to advance to the next round. These players are considered as did not finish (DNF).
- No participant can go for the race before the referee's check on his/her ice skates and protective gears.
- The competitors are forbidden to either hold or pull any starting machine during the start of the match.
- The competitors are required to wear a helmet, chest guard, elbow pads with shoulder protection and guards along with the shinbone and knee protectors and a pair of gloves.
- The players are entirely forbidden to participate in the race without wearing a helmet. If the helmet is lost during the match, then the players are required to stop and put their helmet first and adjust the chinstrap properly before resuming in the down track. If the participants move on the track without wearing a helmet, then, they are directly disqualified from the match.
- The skates used during the matches shouldn't have any sharp edges or any additional feature that can harm other players. The blades should include a plastic knob on the upper back portion.
- For the safety of all the riders, many optional protectors such as the neck, spine, throat protectors along with the mouthguard, chest and back protection shields are allowed to use.
General History
The Red Bull Pvt. Ltd. organized the first ice cross downhill race in the year 2001, in the city of Stockholm, Sweden. At that time the track was measured 300 meters long build through a series of city streets. The ice was managed from a nearby local fish market.
Over the next five years, the ice cross downhill competition was again organized in winter in other places such as Austria, Duluth, Moscow, Prague, Minnesota and also in the Quebec city.
Since 2007, the Red Bull has started organizing the downhill ice cross events annually. In the year of 2010, the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship competition was held for the first time.
By 2011, the popularity of ice cross downhill competition emerged to the extent that almost 100,000 spectators witnessed the Crashed Ice event organized in the Quebec City, in Canada.
The International Ice Cross Sports Federation (IICSF) is the governing body which sanctions various events and especially the World Ice Cross League.
Since 2015, the Women's World Championship is being conducted. Later in 2016, the Junior World Championship, combining both men and women started for junior participants.
