Fenway Park is planning to host another extreme winter sports event this winter and this time it features a sport you might not know much about.
Ice cross downhill will take over Fenway from Feb. 8-9 in 2019 at the Red Bull Crashed Ice event.
In ice cross downhill, four racers at a time skate down a seven-story tower on a track covered in ice racers at up to 50 miles per hour on the right-field bleachers. The course is 2,000 feet with jumps and tight turns.
In February of 2019, @fenwaypark will transform into a 2,000-foot ice track as @redbull Crashed Ice expands to Boston for the first time. The event will feature two nights of the toughest and fastest skaters going head-to-head at speeds of 50 mph. #RedBullCrashedIce pic.twitter.com/tTKbElJuZU
— Fenway Sports Mgt (@FenwaySportsMgt) September 12, 2018CRASHED ICE COMES TO FENWAY: When you've had a few too many @redbull drinks and lace up the skates and come to @FenwayPark! Get ready for something new and exciting Feb. 8 and 9: pic.twitter.com/n8c3HliENY
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 12, 2018The racers will speed into the infield and round the bases before finishing at home plate.
"A huge thing for our sport is to show it to people who have never seen it, and get it into new locations,'' said Amanda Trunzo, the reigning women's ice cross downhill world champion. "That's how the sport will continue to develop. I'm super excited for it. It's a new development to have it in a stadium.''
She should know, though, that most would say Fenway is not a stadium.
"Fenway Park is a mythic place and an awesome sports environment,'' Red Bull Crashed Ice sport director Christian Papillon said. "There's a lot of history there. It's a privilege to design a track for such a place.''
Construction for the course will begin in January.
Fenway hosted its first extreme winter sports event in 2016 with Big Air at Fenway.
