Red Bull Crashed Ice is coming back to St. Paul, though it won’t overlap with the St. Paul Winter Carnival like it did this year.
The hair-raising “extreme sport” that brought thousands of spectators and athletes to the base of the Cathedral of St. Paul will return on the weekend of Feb. 22 for its third consecutive go-round in the capital city.
Further details about the competition are expected to be announced Wednesday.
Through three days of open qualifiers and elimination runs, the downhill racing event combines the precision of competitive ice-skating with the blood and occasional injuries more reminiscent of a hockey fight.
The Jan. 26 championship was on the same day as the Winter Carnival’s King Boreas Grande Day Parade along West Seventh Street and as the Beer Dabbler in Lowertown. The events drew an estimated 115,000 visitors to the streets surrounding the cathedral, where skaters raced down a track of drops, jumps and sharp turns.
The 128th St. Paul Winter Carnival will be Jan. 23 through Feb. 2, missing the Crashed Ice competition by a few weeks.
Crashed Ice draws international athletes who race at speeds of up to 40 mph.
Cameron Naasz of Lakeville, the top-ranked American in the sport, won the race in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March and placed third overall in the world rankings.
Naasz finished third in St. Paul last winter behind Canadian Kyle Croxall, who took first, and his brother, Scott.
Red Bull Crashed Ice also will host 2014 tournaments in Finland, Russia and Canada. More details are online at redbullcrashedice.com.
In early October, Fox Sports announced it had signed a three-year agreement to carry the entire Red Bull World Series, including Crashed Ice, the air race, X-fighters freestyle motocross and cliff diving.
Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172. Follow him at twitter.com/FrederickMelo.
Copyright 2013 Pioneer Press.