Redbull goes Deep

BONNE TERRE, MO - On September 4, 2002 Red Bull Depth Charge will challenge fourteen top professional wakeboarders and wakeskaters with the most unique course ever: a retired mine that is now the world's largest underground lake. Riders will tackle a series of seven railslides, kickers, and gaps as they are towed through the limestone maze by a personal watercraft at about 20 miles per hour. While freeride wakeboarders and wakeskaters commonly excel in this terrain park atmosphere, the variance of the shadow-filled chambers, 100 foot tall rock pillars, and snaking three-quarter mile course will offer a stark and defying contrast.



Said Josh Sanders, a professional wakeboarder who helped plan the course, "It's sick! I've never seen anything like it. Riding in the mine will definitely be a challenge only a few guys in the world can probably handle. It's not just how narrow or sketchy it is, but the light is really going to mess with your head. Crashing down here could be deadly with the rock walls."

New Rules. New Leader.
The Red Bull Depth Charge invited athletes include; 2001 US Pro Tour Champion Parks Bonifay, 2000 X-Games Champion Darin Shapiro, 2000 Triple Crown Champion Shaun Murray, and Australia's top wakeboarder Josh Sanders, along with eight other world class riders. Wakeskaters Brian Grubb and Thomas Horrell will also compete against the wakeboarders showcasing the technically challenging discipline of wakeskating.

Following the final runs of the day, a cutting-edge judging criteria will be utilized as the Red Bull Depth Charge wakeboarders review videotape from the competition and judge themselves.

"Billion Gallon Lake" Mystery Revealed
The beautifully eerie labyrinth of water fills an abandoned mine which sits beneath the town of Bonne Terre (French for "Good Earth") located just an hour south of St. Louis, Missouri in the rolling foothills of the Ozarks. From 1840 to 1961, the Bonne Terre mine was the world's largest lead mine. In 1961, the price of lead dropped, operations ceased and groundwater seeped into the vast tunnels creating the "billion gallon lake". Today, the mine offers scuba diving tours due to its extremely clear waters. Ore carts, pick axes, and even submerged steam engines lie lost in time in the 125 foot deep mine, where close to 100 square miles of tunnels burrow through solid limestone.

The entire event will be compiled for a television special to air November 9, 2002 on The National Network (TNN). Check local listings for details.

For more information check out www.redbullusevents.com. Additional information on the Bonne Terre Mine may be found at www.2dive.com.