What is it? Red Bull 400 is series of 14 leg-burning, lung-busting events located in off-season ski resorts in Europe, Asia and North America, where contestants race each other up a 400m ski jump. With a gradient of around 37 percent, the course is short, but it’s not pretty (besides the stunning view from the top). As Red Bull put it, it’s 400m of total uphill struggle.

Find out more about the Red Bull 400 event here

How it works: Each single event runs in heats where, depending on the number of competitors racing, a proportion of the fastest qualify to race again. Win your heat and – hurrah! – you’re through to the next round. Which is great – until you realise you face 400m of unforgiving uphill again. Oh HELLO, calves.

Disciplines: Race in the mixed discipline, the women-only event or the 4 x100m mixed relay.

Terrain: Totally depends on the venue – some it’s pure grass, others dry ski slope-style matting (good for clinging on to). We reckon it’s most likely a trail shoes job.

When and where: The series runs Sunday May 14 – Saturday 28 October and kicks off in Almaty, Kazakhstan before moving to Turkey, Japan, Russia, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, USA and back to Russia. Full dates on www.redbull400.com

Want to know how it feels to race the Red Bull 400? Look out for our Red Bull 400 race review, coming soon!