After a staggering start (thanks entirely to Mother Nature) the multi-faceted Red Bull Snow Boundaries snowmobile event is back on for 2016 — with a new location.
The event — the latest in a line of Red Bull challenge events that are designed to be relatively easy to end but particularly difficult to complete — was originally planned for Duluth, Minnesota, last winter, and after winter didn’t cooperate it was then rescheduled for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before being scrapped altogether.
For the coming winter, however, the event is planned to be held at the ERX race park in Elk River, Minnesota — a northwest suburb of Minneapolis. The event will include a 13-mile technical course that will include elements of cross-country, snocross, hillclimbs and ice racing, and will also feature obstacles not found in virtually any other sort of sled racing — including rock chutes and log crosses.
In setting up this year’s event — scheduled for Feb. 20 — organizers got it away the Jackson Hole Hill Climb but now are going head-to-head with the Iron Dog up in Alaska when competing for the sport’s most extreme athletes.
Here is the full press release from Red Bull:
PRESS RELEASE BELOW
RED BULL SNOW BOUNDARIES TO BRING ENDURANCE SNOWMOBILE RACING
TO ELK RIVER EXTREME MOTOR PARK
Multi-Discipline Endurance Race to Feature Elements of Snocross, Hill Climb, Cross Country and Ice Racing
Elk River, MN (November 16th, 2015) – On February 20, Red Bull Snow Boundaries will bring the first snowmobile event of its kind to Elk River Extreme Motor Park (ERX) in Elk River, MN. Open to professional and amateur racers alike, ages 18+, the event will require competitors to be proficient in multiple snowmobiling disciplines as they navigate an aggressive 13-mile closed loop course for up to 4 hours, all battling for a prize purse of over $100,000 in cash and prizes. Registration is open now at www.redbull.com/snowboundaries!
Designed to push each rider and their machine to the limit, the course features a grueling 13-mile loop where racers will face an unrelenting onslaught of natural and man-made terrain including tight wooded trails, high-speed swamps, vertical climbs, icy chicanes, and big air snocross.
“This is the sort of crazy, crisscrossed and challenging run that snowmobilers dream of riding,” said Levi LaVallee. “This is the ideal situation…ERX is located at the core of snowmobiling in the Midwest. We were able to use every inch of the sprawling facility to create the most badass snowmobile course I’ve ever seen.”
The one-day, Saturday event will feature two classes, “Ditchbangers” designed for amateur racers 18+, and “Open Racer” for professional racers from all snowmobile racing disciplines. Open Racers will complete a one lap timed qualifier for starting line positioning while Amateur racers will line up based on a random draw. Racers will leave the starting line in groups of 10 at 30-second intervals. Amateur racers will compete for 2 hours +1lap while the Open Racer class will compete for a grueling 4 hours +1 lap.
Further rules, course info, and prize information is available on www.redbull.com/snowboundaries.
Registration Fees and Schedule:
Nov. 15th – Dec 14th -$100 Pre Entry Fee plus $25 fuel fee for athletes that signed up for the 2015 Snow Boundaries event and other athletes that want to register early.
Dec 15th – Jan 15th -$150 Entry Fee plus $25 fuel fee.
Jan 16th – Feb 15th – $200 Entry Fee plus $25 fuel fee.
Feb 16th – Feb 19th – $250 Entry Fee plus $25 fuel fee.
