I don’t even know the rules of Ice Cross, but this is already the greatest winter sport ever created. It’s definitely an extreme sport, that’s for sure. It’s a death race on ice. There’s Fury Road, and then there’s this. And no offense to Mad Max, but this looks way cooler.
I stumbled upon this beautiful spectacle a few days ago when I was going to pick up some dinner. Like an angel shining down on me, Ice Cross was playing on the TV next to the take-out section. After seeing this for less than 25 seconds, I was like a heroin addict; hooked. It was like a combination of downhill skating and ski cross, but for madmen. You have have a bunch of guys that look like someone just stole their hockey stick, but they can skate better than a figure skater, and faster than a downhill skater. If that wasn’t crazy enough, there’s also tons of dips, jumps, sharp turns and high vertical drops. You know what happens when you jump? You come down. Now imagine doing that while riding on two tiny metal blades, on a track of slippery, hard ice. That sounds like a million broken ankles just waiting to happen. But anyone that can do this, has my immediate respect. I saw guys doing flips off of the high jumps when I was waiting for my food. They were doing flips. On ice skates. And landing them. Cranes have wet dreams about that kind of balance. This needs to be in the Olympics pronto.
Apparently Ice Cross Downhill used to be called Crashed Ice, which is a sweet name. I understand the name change, especially for marketing reasons, but I bet the golden days of Crashed Ice were legendary. Ice Cross Downhill is sanctioned by the international governing body, the All Terrain Skate Cross Federation or ATSX.
In all honesty, this could be one of the coolest video games of any winter sport. I mean I love ski jumping, Eddie the Eagle was the greatest. It’s awesome. But who would want to play a video game of it? Downhill skiing is exhilarating, but who would want to play a video game version? I don’t think too many. But this? This could be revolutionary. It’s a death race on ice, and there is no shortage of chaos, intensity, excitement, etc. which only makes it better.
If the Vikings ever raced for sport, this is like an evolved version of that. This definitely feels like something that someone thought up while they were stuck in the snow and ice for a long time, because it is crazy. It’s an insane sport, but in the best way. I bet if the Vikings did this, there would be obstacles as well. You’d probably have to duck under some sliding axe or jump over a swinging sword. The winner gets a bucket of mead, while the loser gets pardoned from life. And they would only do it before a raid (kind of like the Native Americans playing lacrosse before they went to war). Now it’s just the coolest winter sport in existence, but it feels relatively unknown. I’m sure it’s bigger in some places around the world, but I don’t think it draws the respectful viewing it deserves, because this is great. This is the kind of sport the world needs, especially in these times.
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