History of Ice Cross Downhill & Creation of the Series
⛸️ Creation of Ice Skating
Ice skating traces back to as far as 5000 years ago, with early forms originating in Finland to shorten travel time. Modern figure skating emerged in the 19th century, playing the groundwork for many ice-based sports to follow.
🏒 Creation of Hockey
Modern ice hockey was developed in Canada in the late 1800s, with the first organized indoor game played in 1875 in Montreal. The sport quickly grew in popularity, eventually becoming one of the most iconic and competitive ice sports in the world.
🏂 Creation of Snowboard Cross and Ski Cross
Snowboard Cross and Ski Cross were developed in the 1980s as adrenaline-packed sports combining speed, obstacles, and competition. They inspired similar racing formats on different terrains, including ice.
🧊 Creation of Red Bull Crashed Ice - Ice Cross Downhill by Red Bull (2001)
In 2001, Red Bull introduced Ice Cross Downhill with the first ever Red Bull Crashed Ice event in Stockholm. It featured athletes racing down an icy track with jumps, turns, and collisions — a new extreme winter sport was born.
🏆 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship (2010 and 2015)
Red Bull officially launched the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship in 2010, introducing a global points system and crowning the first official world champion, Arttu Pihlainen from Finland. The inaugural Women's World Championship took place in 2015, crowning Finland's Salla Kyhälä as the first-ever Female Ice Cross World Champion.
🔁 Transition to ATSX (2019)
In 2019, following Red Bull’s withdrawal as the main sponsor, the sport's official governance transitioned to the ATSX (All Terrain Skate Cross), marking a new chapter in the sport’s development with continued international competition.
Creation of the Canadian Ice Cross X Series
With no races held in Canada during the 2024–2025 ATSX season, the Canadian Ice Cross X Series was built for seasons to come — driven by the dream of reviving the sport’s golden years, while starting with strong bases and keeping those bases for the future. The 2 blades in "X" in "Canadian Ice Cross X Series" combines 3 ideas: The Cross 4 by 4 race, 2 blades you need for gliding on ice and the e"X"treme adrenaline the sport provides.