Red Bull Crashed Ice is back in Edmonton this weekend. The men’s and women’s world champions will be crowded at the two-day finale event on Friday and Saturday in the downtown core.
From ticket information and road closures to event times and the best places to catch the action, here’s everything you need to know about the skate cross event.
Entering the site
There are three entrances to the Crashed Ice site. People can access the general admission area by buying tickets at the following three entrances:
- Top of Grierson Hill, access via 95A Street
- Bottom of Grierson Hill
- Jasper Avenue entrance of the Shaw Conference Centre
Tickets
Tickets to Friday’s junior championship and freestyle competition are $5 including taxes and fees. Tickets to Saturday’s Red Bull Crashed Ice race are $8. Access to the events is first-come, first-served.
Everyone over the age of two attending the general admission areas are required to buy tickets. Tickets can be purchased online ahead of time or at the site.
Amenities and food
Besides the skating event itself, there are plenty of things to do at the site. Amenities include indoor and outdoor beer gardens, merchandise stands and food trucks. The events will also be broadcast on massive TV screens.
READ MORE: Big events in Edmonton bring city new visitors and prestige
Tickets are required to enter the indoor beer garden inside the Shaw Conference Centre. No tickets are required in the activation zone on Jasper Avenue.
Hours and events
The schedule is weather-dependent and subject to change. When the event stopped in Edmonton in 2015, some races were postponed due to rain.
Watch below: Will warm weather affect the 2018 Red Bull Crashed Ice event in Edmonton?
Friday, March 9
- 4 p.m. – Doors open
- 6 p.m. – Freestyle competition
- 6:15 p.m. – Last-chance qualifiers race
- 8 p.m. – Juniors championship
- 9:30 p.m. – Freestyle competition – juniors championship prizes
Saturday, March 10
- 4 p.m. – Doors open
- 5:30 p.m. – Event activities starts
- 7 p.m. – Red Bull Crashed Ice Race starts (men – round of 64)
- 7:45 p.m. – Red Bull Crashed Ice (women – quarter finals)
- 9 p.m. – Men’s & women’s finals
- 9:30 p.m. – Prizes
READ MORE: Thunder Bay men recreate ‘Crashed Ice’ on frozen ditch
Parking at the site
There is no public parking at the event or at the Shaw Conference Centre. Regular parking rates apply at downtown parkades and on-street parking.
The Edmonton Oilers play at Rogers Place on Saturday night, so parking rates will be extended.
Watch below: Two-time defending Red Bull Crashed Ice champion Jacqueline Legere is back, looking for her third title.
Transit options
People attending the events are encouraged to take public transit. Additional trains and buses will be running. Regular transit fares apply.
The following routes will be detoured, as some downtown roads will be closed.
Routes 2, 3, 5, 14, 88, 100, 109, 120, 161, 162, 308, 309 and 560.
Watch below: Time-lapse video of the construction of the Red Bull Crashed Ice track in downtown Edmonton.
Road closures
The following roads will be closed from 9 a.m. on Friday to 12 p.m. on Sunday to accommodate the event and the crowds. Vehicles parked in road closure areas will be ticketed and towed.
- Jasper Avenue between 95A Street and 99 Street
- Grierson Hill
- 95A Street between 101 Avenue and 101A Avenue
- 101 Avenue between 95 Street and 95A Street
Walking to the site
Extended hours will be offered at the funicular. It will be open between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday and between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday.
The underground pedway to the Shaw Conference Centre will be closed to the public on Friday and Saturday.
All trails leading into the park will be closed at 6 p.m. Thursday. They will reopen on Sunday.
READ MORE: Edmonton’s Red Bull Crashed Ice track ‘promises to be a doozy’
Accessible viewing area
The accessible viewing area is on Jasper Avenue east of the Shaw Conference Centre between 96 Street and 97 Street.
The area is in the free activation zone so a ticket is not needed, but access is first-come, first-served. The accessible drop-off and pick-up location for Disabled Adult Transit Service (DATS) and those with approved placards is on 97 Street south of 101A Avenue.
Watch below: Meet the lone Edmontonian competing in this weekend’s event: Gabe Andre
Prohibited items
Strollers are not recommended due to the uneven terrain at the event site. The following things are not allowed:
- Chairs
- Pets
- Glass
- Large signs
- Crash helmets
- Big bags
- Outside food and drink
- Selfie sticks
- Weapons
- Lasers
The 455-metre track starts on Jasper Avenue and swerves through Louise McKinney Park.
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