The Cathedral of St. Paul sits atop the tallest hill in the city. So what better place to set up a downhill hill ice course to host the "fastest sport on ice," right?
That at least was the thinking of Red Bull corporate executives, who traveled to St. Paul to scout out locations for their Crashed Ice event, which is set to be held at the landmark church Jan. 12-14.
As part of the event, contestants race to the bottom of the hill wearing hockey gear and skates. The starting ramp for the ice course will be directly north of the cathedral on the city-owned park space.
The raised ice course will wind around the cathedral, onto the plaza and down the front steps, over John Ireland Boulevard, and down the hill to the finish line, according to cathedral officials.
So what does this mean for parishioners and visitors to the cathedral? The cathedral will remain open, and no construction will begin until Dec. 26. There will be no disruption to Christmas Masses, church officials say.
For those attending weekday and weekend mass in January, Red Bull will provide parking in a nearby lot and shuttle services to and from the cathedral. Details on parking and shuttle services will be posted on the cathedral website.
Working closely with the city of St. Paul, Red Bull has promised the "Crashed Ice" event will seek the least amount of disruption to the normal life of the cathedral and surrounding neighborhood.
Since parking and traffic will be affected by construction of the race course, alternate parking and free shuttles will be provided for those visiting the cathedral.
