Alaska's Arctic Man Event Combines Skiing, Snowmobiles & Snowboards

Red Bull is right to call Alaska’s Arctic Man sporting showcase “the strangest event you’ve never heard of.” While not exactly a household name, Arctic Man definitely stands out as one of the more bizarre — yet oddly enjoyable — exhibits in modern sports. A collision course between man, snowmobiles, snowboards and skiing, the April event brings thousands of aficionados from around the world to Paxson, Alaska for the purpose of partying, camping and mountain racing. Levi Lavallee and Daron Rahlves, two athletes and Arctic Man devotees, break down their fringe sport for Red Bull and the world-at-large in a new visual. In the video above, you can learn all about the forces behind Arctic Man. The sport at the center of Arctic Man is explained by Red Bull as such:

“The concept for the racing is pretty simple. A skier or snowboarder starts at the top of mountain number one, descends into a canyon where they grab a tow rope fixed to the back of their teammates’ snowmobile. From there, they get pulled up mountain number two and race across a plateau, reaching speeds up to 90 mph. The skier then sling shots himself off the plateau and down the final descent to the finish line. Fastest time wins.”