Two skaters ram into each at Ice Cross Downhill championship

Several participants sustained injuries during an Ice Cross Downhill championship in Nizhny Novgorod. The ice on the track began to melt due to warm weather, creating puddles and potholes.

The athletes would stumble and collide with each other. A 38-year-old woman, Viktoria S., broke her leg and was hospitalized. According to eyewitnesses, the ice was breaking apart, and in one section of the track, a refrigerant hose was damaged, causing the substance to leak.

The event was originally scheduled for different dates, but due to unusually warm weather, organizers postponed it. The competition eventually began on March 23. Spectators noted that the event started later than planned.

One athlete, moving at high speed, crashed into another participant who had been unable to ascend a slope due to ice issues and had rolled backward.

A video also shows athletes damaging the refrigerant hose, causing the substance to spill onto the ice.

Organizers claimed that they did not anticipate such abnormally warm conditions in March, so they had no time for proper preparations.

Details

Ice cross downhill is a winter extreme sporting event which involves direct competitive downhill skating on a walled track featuring sharp turns and high vertical drops. Ice cross downhill is similar to ski cross and boardercross, except with ice skates on an ice track, instead of using skis or snowboards on a snow track. Events were held under the name Red Bull Crashed Ice from 2001 until 2019, and have been sanctioned by the ATSX since 2019.