Capacity crowd of 30,000 swarm fortified wall of Old Quebec to witness Canada’s first-ever Red Bull Crashed Ice

 

Gabriel Andre defeats six-time undefeated champion Jasper Felder of Sweden and over 90 Canadian and international racers to claim championship title

 

QUEBEC , Mar. 4, 2006 – In a wild and unforgettable race to the finish, Canada’s first-ever Red Bull Crashed Ice was unleashed to a maximum capacity crowd of 30,000-plus spectators in Old Quebec. When the ice spray settled, Gabriel Andre from Prince Albert, Sask., toppled over 90 other racers to become the first Canadian to hold the coveted title of Red Bull Crashed Ice champion.

Among the finalists was Jasper Felder of Sweden, the six-time and previously only champion in Red Bull Crashed Ice history. Felder utilized his speed and size to reach the final four, but couldn’t overcome Andre’s home ice advantage:

 

“It’s amazing to win the first Red Bull Crashed Ice in Canada,” said Andre.  “This sport was made for Canadians, and it’s nice to remind Sweden who the kings of the ice are. I can’t wait to defend my title.”

 

Featuring a 400m ice-track with a 34m vertical drop, the new-school sport of Red Bull Crashed Ice met head-on with the old world charm of Old Quebec, transforming its skyline by winding its way through and around the city’s famous fortified wall. Starting at Les Portes St-Louis and culminating at Place d’Youville, the course featured a series of berms, turns, whoops, jumps and steep chutes. At the heart of the action were four hockey-equipped skaters charging down the S-shaped course head-to-head in a race to the bottom, reaching speeds of up to 50 km/hr.

 

“I’m disappointed not to win, but Gabriel skated some great races and earned the title,” said Felder. “I’ll be back, so don’t count me out in the future.”

 

To determine a champion, consecutive heats of four skaters in a double elimination bracket narrowed the field down during the main event from 64 racers to a final four. Andre took home the first prize of $5,000, with second-place Wade Hocking of Kelowna, B.C., winning $3,000, third-place Sylvain Houle of Rockland, Ont., $1,500, and fourth place Felder $500.

 

 

Red Bull Crashed Ice also introduced the first-ever application of Frozen Motion camera technology in a live forum. Twenty digital cameras freeze the action and rotate 170 degrees around, providing groundbreaking views from behind, around, and over the athlete’s shoulder.  The footage will be featured in a post-production video of Red Bull Crashed Ice, with details on a national broadcast to be announced soon.

 

About Red Bull Crashed Ice

Since Quebec produces some of the world’s best and most fearless hockey players, its capital city was a fitting location for the seventh Red Bull Crashed Ice. Thousands of people from around the world have witnessed the breathtaking and action-packed new sport of ice-cross downhill in cities with rich hockey roots, including its debut in Stockholm, Sweden (2000), Klagenfurt, Austria (2001), Duluth, Minnesota, USA (2003, 2004), Moscow, Russia (2004), and Prague, Czech Republic (2005).

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