Ice Downhill in the Olympic CapitalA crowd of 40,000 fans experienced a night of pure adrenaline on Saturday at Red Bull Crashed Ice in the Olympic capital of Lausanne. Sixty-four ice cracks descended the 400m course made of artificial ice, fighting it out shoulder-to-shoulder for every last inch. Victory went to the experienced Swedish skater Jasper Felder, who claimed his first ever victory at the inaugural Crashed Ice event in Stockholm in 2001.Lausanne (CH) The 64 competitors had qualified for the final race of the season on the shores of Lake Geneva, with each heat seeing groups of four skaters battle it out on their way down the 400-metre course full of chicanes, jumps and camel humps in front of the historic Palais de Rumine.A total of nine nations were represented at the season finale of Red Bull Crushed Ice 2009 featuring a spectacular finish on the Place de la Riponne. The finish jump must have been at least nine metres. One mistake and you were straight into the crash barriers at 60km/h, explained the now seven-time Red Bull Crashed Ice winner Jasper Felder (SWE), 39.The line between success and failure was thin, and plenty of competitors saw their dreams of victory end upside down in the crash barriers. Steep, fast, jumps and all that on an incredibly tight course. Winning is just unbelievable, said a delighted Felder after grabbing victory on the tight, technical course.Saturdays final saw 40,000 fans line the course, while even the qualifying on Friday had attracted no fewer than 10,000 spectators. The last seven years have seen Red Bull Crashed Ice bring its unique brand of action to crowds the globe, taking in Moscow, Prague and even the USA along the way. After last years season finale in Davos, won by Finnish skater Miikka Jouhkimainen in front of 10,000 fans, this years event made stops in Québec (with 90,000 fans!) and Prague before ending with a bang on the shores of Lake Geneva.Red Bull Crashed Ice / Lausanne / Switzerland1. Jasper Felder (SWE), 2. Arttu Pihlainen (FIN), 3. Lari Joutsenlahti (FIN), 4. Miikka Jouhkimainen (FIN), 5. Andreas Rüegge (CH), 6. Kilian Braun (CH), 7. Matias Schantz (FIN), 8. Lukas Fiala (CZE)

Channel: Sports
Uploaded: March 15, 2009 at 4:19 am
Author: Smaragdmedia

Length: 02:16
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Tags: red  bull  crashed  ice  in  lausanne  extreme  fun  hockey  suisse  schweiz  

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