Crazy New Extreme Winter Sport Making Its Maine Debut in Auburn
Have you heard of ice cross?
You not only will hear about ice cross, but you can head up to Lost Valley ski area in Auburn to witness this craziness for yourself. The Sun Journal reports that Lost Valley is only the second venue in America to host the ATSX Ice Cross World Championship Series.
February 10-12, about 70 of the world’s top ice cross athletes along with newbies will be at Lost Valley. What is ice cross? Well, think ski cross where you race head-to-head down a steep hill while maneuvering twists, banked turns, jumps, and drops. But instead of skis, you wear skates on ice-covered ski trails. Skaters dressed like hockey players four at once battling to finish first. Yup - there are plenty of wipeouts!
The All Terrain Skate Cross Federation (ATSX), was founded only in 2015. They set all the rules and the U.S. Ice Cross Association builds the courses and runs the events in America. If you want to see some serious competition you can head to races in this year’s world championship series in Austria, France, Finland, Quebec, Wisconsin, and yes Auburn Maine! Racers say that sure it's dangerous, but serious injuries are rare. Don't worry, there's an ambulance at every U.S. race and you MUST wear a helmet. The most common injury is a sprained or broken wrist.
If you are a hockey fan, you will love this. A lot of hockey players are ice cross competitors. So far, most do this as a hobby, and not a full-time gig. At this point, it's not an Olympic sport, just a fun one. But ski cross wasn't an Olympic sport at first either.
The best part is that if you want to just watch the Lost Valley race, it's free!
Lost Valley would love to pack the place so that the ATSX Ice Cross World Championship Series returns! They had me at free for spectators!