The Pinkbike Podcast: Episode 85 - Is the Red Bull Rampage Too Slopestyle?

Oct 14, 2021
by Mike Levy  
Pinkbike Podcast
Art by Taj Mihelich


Is Rampage too slopestyle? Too smooth? Strangely, some people believe exactly that, commenting that it, "Looks like Crankworx," and that the competitors have, "Converted the natural Rampage features into one big man-made theme park with all these perfectly shaped skate ramp-style features." What a bunch of horseshit. I'm not sure which Rampage they're watching, but this year's event looks more serious than ever, not to mention that injuries have been a factor throughout the week.

Our sport is full of gnarly people doing gnarly things, be it cross-country racers pushing their bodies to the limit, downhillers finding the limits of traction and handling, or just that local rider going so damn hard, far, or huge without having to tell the world about it. Everyone town has a few, don't they? But I don't think it's out of line to say that the Red Bull Rampage is, without a doubt, the rowdiest, scariest, most intense riding out there. We get to watch guys like Zink, Semenuk, Vestavik, and others attempt lines that, for me and (probably) you, are essentially impossible. Sure, you could roll that one section, or maybe even hit the set-up jump, but even the bravest and bro-ist shuttle rat knows that we're all watching something special happen live from the desert of southern Utah.


Drop cliffs not bombs. Reed Boggs leading by example.
Going this big requires a lot more than scraping the landing for five minutes with a rusty rake.


Episode 85 sees the crew talk all things Rampage, from what it's like to ride (and crash) off those red mesas, some of the most notable runs over the years, judging controversies and weather delays, and even put our neck on the line with some predictions that probably won’t pan out. If you want to skip the news (same here), our Rampage chat begins at the 30min mark.

*This episode was recorded on Tuesday, so it may not be up to date with injuries and who's competing*

What's the biggest huck you've ever done? Do you have a favorite Rampage run or move from previous years?





THE PINKBIKE PODCAST // EPISODE 85 - IS THE RED BULL RAMPAGE TOO SLOPESTYLE?
Oct 14th, 2021

Of course not, but it sure is easy to talk shit from behind a keyboard when you've never been there...


Featuring a rotating cast of the editorial team and other guests, the Pinkbike podcast is a weekly update on all the latest stories from around the world of mountain biking, as well as some frank discussion about tech, racing, and everything in between.




Previous Pinkbike Podcasts
Episode 1 - Why Are Bikes So Expensive?
Episode 2 - Where the Hell is the Grim Donut?
Episode 3 - Pond Beaver Tech
Episode 4 - Why is Every Bike a Trail Bike?
Episode 5 - Can You Trust Bike Reviews?
Episode 6 - Over Biked Or Under Biked?
Episode 7 - Wild Project Bikes
Episode 8 - Do We Need an Even Larger Wheel Size?
Episode 9 - Why Are We Doing a Cross-Country Field Test?
Episode 10 - Getting Nerdy About Bike Setup
Episode 11 - Are We Going Racing This Year?
Episode 12 - What's the Future of Bike Shops?
Episode 13 - Are Bikes Too Regular Now?
Episode 14 - What Bikes Would Pinkbike Editors Buy?
Episode 15 - What's Holding Mountain Biking Back?
Episode 16 - Who's Your Mountain Biking Hero?
Episode 17 - XC Field Test Insider
Episode 18 - Electronics on your Mountain Bike: Good or Bad?
Episode 19 - The Hardtail Episode
Episode 20 - MTB Conspiracy Theories
Episode 21 - Stuff We Were Wrong About
Episode 22 - Does Your Riding Style Match Your Personality?
Episode 23 - Grim Donut 2 is Live!
Episode 24 - Why Even Buy a DH Bike?
Episode 25 - Fall Field Test Preview
Episode 26 - The Three Most Important Mountain Bikes
Episode 27 - The World Champs Special
Episode 28 - All About Women's Bikes
Episode 29 - Freeride or Die
Episode 30 - Would You Rather?
Episode 31 - Wet Weather Riding Tips & Tricks
Episode 32 - What Needs to Change in the Bike Industry?
Episode 33 - Behind the Scenes at Pinkbike Academy
Episode 34 - Grilling Levy About Field Test Trail Bikes (and His Bonspiel)
Episode 35 - Story Time - Stranger Than Fiction
Episode 36 - Grilling Kazimer about Field Test Enduro Bikes
Episode 37 - The 2020 Privateer Season with Ben Cathro
Episode 38 - Editors Defend Their 2020 Best-Of Picks
Episode 39 - Predicting the Future of Mountain Biking
Episode 40 - The Pinkbike Awards!
Episode 41 - Racing Rumours and Team Changes
Episode 42 - Mountain Biking's Guilty Pleasures
Episode 43 - Dangerholm's Wildest Custom Mountain Bikes
Episode 44 - Mountain Bike Suspension Decoded
Episode 45 - What Makes a Good Riding Buddy
Episode 46 - The RockShox Zeb vs Fox 38 Deep Dive
Episode 47 - High Pivot Bikes: The Good, The Bad, and The Why?
Episode 48 - Rides That Went Horribly Wrong... & Why That Made Them So Good
Episode 49 - What's the Best DH Bike?
Episode 50 - Are Bikes Actually Getting Less Expensive? (Value Bike Field Test Preview)
Episode 51 - Should MTB Media Post Spy Shots?
Episode 52 - Our Most Embarrassing MTB Moments
Episode 53 - Should Climbers Still Have the Right of Way?
Episode 54 - Best and Worst MTB Product Marketing
Episode 55 - Big Dumb Rides & Staying Motivated
Episode 56 - What Were the Most Important Inventions in Mountain Biking?
Episode 57 - What Were the Best (and Worst) Trends in Mountain Biking?
Episode 58 - Debunking Mountain Biking's Biggest Myths
Episode 59 - Value Bike Field Trip Surprises & Spoilers
Episode 60 - What Kind of Mountain Biker Do You Want to Be?
Episode 61 - Athlete Pay, Lycra, Equality and More from the State of the Sport Survey
Episode 62 - Editor Preferences and Why They Matter
Episode 63 - Our Best (And Worst) Bike Buying Advice
Episode 64 - Who's On Your MTB Mount Rushmore?
Episode 65 - The Hardtail Episode
Episode 66 - The Best and Worst of Repairing Bikes
Episode 67 - The Story of Mountain Biking's Most Interesting Man: Richard Cunningham
Episode 68 - Who Are Mountain Biking's Unsung Heroes?
Episode 69 - The Good, Bad, and Strange Bikes We've Owned - Part 1
Episode 70 - The Good, Bad, and Strange Bikes We've Owned - Part 2
Episode 71 - The Story of Mountain Biking's Most Interesting Man: Richard Cunningham - A Pinkbike Podcast Special, Part 2
Episode 72 - Hey Outers!
Episode 73 - The Details That Matter... and Some That Shouldn't
Episode 74 - The Best Trails We've Ridden and What Makes Them So Special
Episode 75 - Things MTB Brands Waste Money On
Episode 76 - MTB Originals and Copycats
Episode 77 - Interview with Outside CEO, Robin Thurston
Episode 78 - Modern Geometry Explained
Episode 79 - What's the Future of eMTBs?
Episode 80 - The Best Vehicles for Mountain Bikers
Episode 81 - You've Got Questions, We've (Maybe) Got Answers
Episode 82 - Behind the Scenes at Field Test
Episode 83 - Does Carbon Fiber Belong On Your Mountain Bike?
Episode 84 - Explaining RockShox's Computer Controlled Suspension

Author Info:
mikelevy avatar

Member since Oct 18, 2005
2,032 articles

178 Comments
  • 62 7
 It may not be slopestyle, but it isn't what it used to be either.... which is a legit comment to make. Sure it's still nuts, maybe moreso, but it's a different kind of nuts than it used to be... an evolution
  • 8 2
 This. And it still doesn't matter to me either way. And its still bonkers. And I still love all of it, and every run, and all the dudes participating. Thinking back on what seemed nuts the first time I attended (Oakley sender in 2012), compared to what is NOW pushing the limit of "big or gnarly" is staggering. Size and exposure and risk. This shit is completely insane, but yes... different than it used to be and/or than is my favorite thing to see personally (like riding something so steep and rough that you would think it would take a mountain climber to traverse).
  • 33 1
 I think it's a great excuse to add another rampage type competition, titled "rampage classic". Only 1 build day, using a rusty rake.
  • 13 1
 @cky78 that's absolutely true. One thing I lost sleep over last night is that I didn't talk about how the creativity and rawness doesn't need to go away as things get more precise at Ramapage—it just moves over to videos. All these riders have the opportunity to go and shoot wild, creative videos with super raw lines, and many of them do. That's why Brage's the most popular man in freeride right now and I love it.

@kcy4130: hah that's an amazing idea.
  • 5 2
 Buuut...mountain biking is not what it used to be and neither are the riders. I'm not sure you could re-create that early Rampage feel and, though I loved it, I'm not sure they should. The boundaries of the athletes and the bikes have broadened so much and what it means to bike for many have shifted too (I've just offended someone who has recently used the #264life). All sports have been through it and I think if you get hung up on the nostalgia of something you miss out on enjoying the way it is currently sometimes. Absolutely I loved the Rampage's of the past... while also feeling this growing uneasiness around the safety of the riders. I'm excited to see what this years event brings and I hope all of the riders can stay safe. It is amazing though when we get a taste of that excitement and rawness of the earlier events... like the Brage edit! That video for me captured so much of that feel of early rampage.
  • 2 1
 @kcy4130: They should have multiple events and one should be a jam style very little digging event in green river or big water
  • 3 0
 bigger tricks on bigger air off bigger takeoffs into bigger better landings has always been the direction of rampage but I really feel as if this evolution was accelerated when rampage took on this new venue. the original venue had a lot of opportunities for "old school" freeride, ie a gnarly albeit smaller drop into wheel-dragging-ly steep dirt. this venue is honestly usually a bit too f*cked up for even that, so riders have built a lot of their own features.
  • 7 2
 @kcy4130: No build, no pre-ride, one run, ride it as you see it.
  • 4 0
 @kcy4130: Absolutely - would love to see a 2 or 3 day multi-event go down here, maybe add on a total unbuilt free-ride event or a single DH -style line that's time (or both). Lots more could be done that would be oldschool but done mod-style.
  • 3 6
 I would say Rampage is Slopstyle but it’s not Freeride anymore! I will be watching some of my old Rampage DVDs this weekend
  • 8 4
 I think a big problem people have is that want to see a ton of uncontrolled terrain and don't really care when they're watching from their computer screens if people get hurt. None of these riders want to get hospitalized, and people were falling like f*cking crazy in the early rampage days. Sure it's entertaining, but shit I don't blame anyone for wanting to make a nice controlled groomed landing. They're still sending gnarly shit, and I'm sure zero people who preach "freeride4lyfe" in these comment sections are feasibly attempting any of what these athletes attempt on their groomed stuff. Scale is obviously lost when watching playback from our computer screens.

I also think people tribalistically want to see their favorite freeriders win and hate when the slopestyle guys are capable of doing slopestyle AND winning this. I think it's fine to have your own preferences, but I think it's annoying as shit to discount that slope guys like Brandon are also huge f*cking free riders. It's not like Brandon's never rode big mountain stuff before dude literally committed his life to riding shit like this and it's a hard pill for people to swallow to know that he can crossover between both disciplines and be at the top. It's not like the other more "big mountain" riders there are like "yeah brandons shit is weak" no they definitely celebrate when he does gnarly stuff and have no problem acknowledging that the guy goes big. Why cant you people do the same?

I also hate the term big mountain. What the hell does that even mean? Like sliding left and right on shale on a volcano face on your bike? lol. We ride trails people, this was never a competition to highlight some purist form of what you think freeride is. Northshore gave me free ride personally, and to me it was always taking a trail bike or downhill bike and doing something else on it that wasnt racing. Hell f*cking yeah that meant doing huge tricks in the woods with your friends.
  • 4 0
 the evolution of nuts sounds like a 3rd nut is the next step
  • 1 9
flag nvranka (Oct 14, 2021 at 14:07) (Below Threshold)
 @anchoricex: lmao...dude doesn't know what big mountain lines are referring to and proceeds to type several paragraphs of drivel. Go watch a few Doerfling edits. IT'S ALL BIKING HUR DUR.
  • 1 0
 @jarrod801: haha right on
  • 4 0
 @nvranka: lol look at that a gatekeeper showin up like clockwork.
  • 32 1
 It's pretty simple. Some fans hoped Rampage would go more the way of big mountain riding. So as the tech and skill level progressed the terrain would become equivalently more difficult such that building a groomed run isn't practical and just making it down on two wheels is an accomplishment. But instead the terrain has by and large remained unchanged so the only option to progress is to manipulate the terrain so that more tricks can be done and bigger hits can be safely sent. The event as it stood couldn't easily grow toward big mountain, at least from an organizers' perspective. It's not slopestyle. And isn't really big mountain riding. It's Rampage. A bit of everything from the gravity side of the sport thrown together in a unique event. High risk and high skill. Televised. For free. It's awesome. Can't wait to watch!
  • 9 1
 I think part of the reason this event progressed the way it has is because nobody could find a proper venue in another area of the globe. I remember talking to wade simmons back in 05-06 during rampages hiatus and he and other riders had been scouting with redbull for a completely different location (I remember him mentioning alaska was looked at among a few) and nothing was found. So with the same general location and the progression of tricks and slopestyle things naturally shifted in that direction. I would imagine if there was several different locations around the globe the riding might have not allowed for the level of refinement we’re seeing now, and therefore more “natural” line choices.
That being said I think where this is going, current rampage allows the sport to showcase a type of riding that is only possible on a mountain bike.
Riding a knife edge ridgeline, down a insane fall line chute into a tailwhip or 360 off a 25ft drop… bmx/slopestyle tricks on moto sized natural (okay, somewhat natural *subjective*) drops/jumps. No other two wheeled sport or athletes could do it and I think that is the f*cking raddest thing ever!
  • 1 0
 @brycepiwek: Bingo! The feasibility as an event is a key factor. Few locations in the world with such terrain are accessible, especially for such a production.
  • 1 0
 @pourquois-pas: When it come to locations people also forget weather, hard rain could borderline cancel the event. You need an area with super low precipitation chance.
  • 20 3
 Would love to see an event focused entirely on trying to create the scariest, most raw freeride line with no consideration for tricks/flow. Just pure gnarly shit like Gee's most recent video series was pursuing.
  • 24 12
 Tell me you want to see someone get hurt without saying you want to see someone get hurt.
  • 7 7
 @ridingsteeps: down vote for using a social media meme.
  • 9 2
 @vapidoscar: This might come as shock to you but you just made this comment on a social media platform. Gasp!
  • 1 7
flag vapidoscar FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 14:25) (Below Threshold)
 @ridingsteeps: That does not surprise me but I didn't use a meme. You didn't even use a pinkbike meme, Randy.
  • 20 4
 Hang on, doesnt the rider choose thier own line and build? If a rider chooses just bike park features and fest-style sculpted jumps and landings, then hate the rider not the contest.
That being said, why the heck is PB in such a rush to defend red bull. For all we know the red bull judges will dismiss the riders doing authentic freeride and award 1st place to slopestyle tricks for the sake of popularity. Red bull is a company and they follow the money. If there’s money in rampage turning into a slopestyle contest thats exactly what it will become.
  • 5 3
 Yup, big tricks = views = money for Red Bull.
  • 10 2
 We're not big defenders of Red Bull. There are lots of legitimate criticisms (eg you heard me talk about the previous lack of insurance for riders, and we've talked before about the lack of prize money, the broadcast quality, angles, etc.), but we also respect the judges and the event creators a lot.

The judges aren't slopestyle kids, they're OG freeriders who know what's up. They aren't going to award points based on popularity—if they did they'd have scored Brendan's 2017(?) run much higher. Or that year when someone did a million flips down the mountain and got "robbed" they had to have known that it was a hugely crowd-pleasing run but it didn't score all that high because they know what's up.
  • 6 0
 How do you defend the unequal build times and line choice? Just from a fairness perspective. Have you been vocal about it?It’s an old venue, Clearly wasn’t dismantled so there’s a distinct advantage given to all the returning riders. You can hear it throughout the interviews despite the editing, self and otherwise. Uh yeah pretty much the same line as 17 but more tricks, bigger bench cuts and safer run outs…fine for a promotional event but a piss poor way to run a competition. Especially as Sorge put it, one that’s half won with the digging.
Ps something tells me the way those old sites are not restored might have something to do with the denied access to new areas. Unless they did unlimited sandbags with desert patina this year. @brianpark:
  • 3 1
 @graniteandrew: yep I'm pretty sure I mention that in the podcast that it's pretty unfair to first time riders and non-locals. I am fine with the tricks and packed landings, but definitely don't love some other aspects of Rampage—the things that make it more spectacle than competition.
  • 1 0
 @graniteandrew: It sounds like they had a fresh new venue, but it fell through last minute and they had to resort back to this old venue.
  • 3 3
 So when’s the opinion piece on why rampage isn’t a fair competition going to drop? Funny how things go one way editorially, easy to attack people rightly pointing out its more like a slopestyle course than ever before, but nothing about structural defects in the comp? @brianpark:
  • 2 6
flag ridingsteeps (Oct 14, 2021 at 14:44) (Below Threshold)
 @graniteandrew: Whaaaa. Rampage isn't fair. Whaaaa, whaaaa. Mommmmmy!!
  • 3 2
 What a douchebag statement.

Is there something wrong with a fair competition?

Did I miss something in the event materials? If that’s how it has to be just call it a promo event and be done with the pretense.

At least a slopestyle contest is fair to all riders. @ridingsteeps:
  • 2 1
 @graniteandrew: What, are you 12? Life aint always fair my guy. I'm sure whining on bike forum will totally make everything more fair though.
  • 1 0
 @brianpark: This is super fun to me - didn't actually realize other readers / Rampage viewers thot Fairclough got robbed before 2019 (didn't pay attention to media about it then). I did think the risk of that canyon - backflip or not - with the line being basically parallel vs. a large vertical line change, was easily the single most ridiculous move in all of Rampage history. That with that raw chute & The Rock (he hit that right?)...

Robbed. But yeah I know its just judging and yes there's a ranking system, but Jebus H - that canyon flip, I think, may be the single sickest most high risk move ever up there. Maybe I'm wrong...
  • 1 0
 @Mtn-Goat-13: i believe another rider backflipped a similar size canyon gap back in 2013. Look up red bull top 20 moments.
  • 1 0
 @RideThicccBC: I recall & actually was trying to find who did that (?)...but that was a smaller canyon at this years site maybe? Anyway - I've never thought anyone got robbed so much as that Fairclough 2019 line but also, its not that bigga deal. Everyone of these MFs is an ultimate freeride god, even if they wipe out...hence the bummer about Brage's bust before the event. Quoting Kaz - ultimately "its just f*cking bikes" and I agree. Awesome, life inspiring, mind-bending... but even my comments are just banter & chicken-scratch.
  • 16 1
 I appreciate the pushback against criticism of the venue and course. However, I don't think that we should equate this criticism with disrespect for the riders, promoters, builders, etc. They have more than earned our respect. If you look at other sports, intense scrutiny of performances, venues, sporting culture, style, etc., is the norm. One can be a passionate fan and not agree with everything that is going down, and people are entitled to having opinions. There are diverse riding styles out there; if you ride DJ you may afiliate more with a trick oriented Rampage competitor. If you race enduro or DH, you may prefer technical lines more. Maybe the average, non biking viewer out there just wants to see someone huck big. Maybe you like all of the above. What makes rampage great is you see all of that packed into one, with world cup racers competing against slopestyle professionals.
  • 14 5
 I agree lots of people don't mean it disrespectfully and there's totally some valid criticism in there, but there are also a lot of folks who just want to see sketchy shit and people rolling the dice over and over falling down a mountain. And I think that lack of regard for riders' health is disrespectful. Again not everyone is doing that, but I do get that vibe sometimes when people want to bring it back to the "good" old days.
  • 6 2
 @brianpark: I agree with @mt36 Brian, I don't think your read on the comments is correct. I think the courses now are more dangerous, there is probably less crashing, but when it happens it's going to be much more consequential....these modern courses scare me much more than any of the older stuff.

When I (personally) say I like the older style of riding, it's due in part to my belief that it's SAFER....I lived through the early days of "freeride" moto to what we have today....it's cool, but much bigger injuries as a result...I see MTB going down a sim path....
  • 7 1
 @brianpark: The basics of freeriding is finding something to huck off of. Rampage was the epitome of that. The basics of slopestyle is building jumps and features to throw tricks off of. Rampage has now become a lot more like that. Some of us miss the old days.

It's pretty disappointing your associating nostalgia for OG Rampage as wishing harm on the riders. It's not like making jumps bigger makes them safer?
  • 11 2
 @stiingya, in the old days riders didn't know how to throw tricks off big drops, and now they do. Dig through the archives and you'll find old videos of Schley trying to learn how to spin, Gracia pulling a mini-flip, etc... The sport has evolved since those early days - more riders than ever have big bags of tricks. If someone has the skills to flip or spin off a huge drop, what's there to dislike?
  • 3 0
 @RadBartTaylor: that's fair, the old events were safer-ish to a point. And I hope my read on some people's comments is wrong.
  • 7 0
 @brianpark: Yea man, the sculpted jumps and landings for sure have to increase consistency of good, safe result, but like he said, f*cking up a 70ft. canyon gap that's 40-50ft. has extreme consequence. If Kelly slipped a pedal on the take off or something, that's all bad. Look what happened when he overshot that one the next year... his bike exploded into 15 pieces. Look at Andreu this week. That drop is beyond huge. And something he's probably done similar 1000 times in his life. But when it goes wrong, it goes real f*cking wrong.

Gee's 2010 run had what in it that could even be considered a trick of today's standard... the hip/bowl drop thing? But the rest of it was just flat out ridiculous, in technicality and speed. Which makes sense as something you'd expect from a Top 10 racer. There's an awe of that level of control and speed that's different from the awe of watching somebody do a flip-whip. Both equally impressive for totally different reasons.
  • 4 2
 @mikekazimer: It's that there are all kinds of events that focus on tricks. Rampage was unique because it was about scouting the line and making minimal changes to hit that line. For sure if you could hit that line and throw in a trick it set you apart. But it was a Unique event because it was more about the line you rode.

It's still a unique event, I mean "build your own slopestyle in the mountains" is still an amazing thing and for sure there are still some natural lines in there. I'll be watching for sure.

But sorry, not gonna let go of my desire to see OG Rampage style of competition! Smile
  • 5 1
 @mikekazimer: nothing to dislike, nobody is saying that unless I am missing something? I don't like the idea of rampage turning into an arms race of bigger drops with bigger and riskier tricks. What stops it from turning into a double back flip off a 50 foot drop to win.....miss it and your toast? How about a more sustainable approach that rewards natural use of the terrain as a scoring criteria....may open up the door for guys that don't have a big back of tricks....win/win?
  • 1 1
 @brianpark: I agree. Maybe not everyone out there respects the riders... I think their safety needs to be preserved to a reasonable degree. The flow and slopestyle features probably go a long way to that end.
  • 12 1
 I get some gaslighty vibes from @brianpark when he talks about consolidation in the bike industry both in this episode about pons and in the Thurston interview. It’s reductionist to say that Pinkbikers have a problem with businesses making money. For things like this it is pretty clear to me that on a long term societal level consolidation of business into the hands of a few is a bad thing for people . Brushing off concerns about business getting bigger and holding more sway over governments and simultaneously leaving more people with worse and worse jobs as if it is whining by a bunch of stoners mad at the world because they could totally thrive using hemp garments as currency on their commune is disingenuous. I’m not Che Guevara by any means just an early 20s guy trying to make it in this world with what I think are valid concerns about where our society is heading if businesses continue to consolidate.
  • 6 5
 Hmm I'm probably guilty of lumping a lot of comments and commenters into one perspective to respond to, and maybe misrepresenting people's individual takes as a result. Something to work on. Smile

This probably isn't the forum for my sociopolitical opinions, but I will say that we do generally root for the underdogs and love all the small, creative manufacturers/publications/brands/athletes that push the sport and make our jobs more interesting.
  • 2 1
 @brianpark: ISorry came on a touch strong there. It is not newsworthy that different positions breed different opinions. We will see where I stand when my antifa promotion comes through though.
  • 14 0
 “Negative anti-squat” aka squat
  • 8 0
 Got me there haha
  • 2 0
 @mikelevy: Maybe you could redesign it to have "Minus Negative Anti-Squat"?
  • 9 0
 @sorryiamtheboss: Diddly-squat?
  • 1 0
 @MuddyBrit @brianpark I'll be stealing that one for the marketing copy
  • 1 0
 @MuddyBrit: Christ, that's good
  • 8 0
 It would be really cool if there was an event where no tools were allowed, and the trail is only cut by rider's tires as they make practice laps. Yeah, it may be less gnarly, and yeah, there would probably be less spinny-whippy tricks. But it's awfully sanitized now and the course is made to be smoother than most dh tracks.
  • 10 0
 Rakes only Rampage would be absolutely sick.
  • 3 0
 I seem to recall they had an even like that once... now they did let people spend some time with tools to keep things safe, add a little transition here, clear some landings, add a little lip here and there to clear a drop.

Not sure what happened to that event though... even had a catchy name so you'd think I'd remember what it was called...??? Smile
  • 2 2
 Have you ever been to virgin?
  • 1 5
flag stiingya (Oct 14, 2021 at 13:01) (Below Threshold)
 @NoahJ: no, haven't been to the moon or dived the Titanic either. doesn't stop me from having an opinion about them. How about you? Shall we say you can't vote for the President unless you've actually been the President. How far would that take us in life...???
  • 2 0
 @stiingya: Just saying it is much different from what it looks like on camera.
  • 1 1
 @NoahJ: I'm sure that's totally true. 99% of the time it's WAY more crazy in real life then what you can get out of it through pictures and videos and we all know GoPro seems to "flatten" everything a bit!

At this point my feeling is that probably more people want them building like this than doing old school technical lines and that's fine. Win some and you loose some! I do hope someone somewhere takes an opportunity to fill that niche though!

I'm for sure watching tomorrow and I do wish I would plan ahead and see it in person some day!!
  • 11 1
 If Rogatkin won’t ride rampage it’s not slopestyle
  • 6 0
 The real question is when Kyle Strait throws his only (I mean signature) move a Sui-No Hander on a big step down (for like the 30th time) Is that going to be the winning run? What even is progression anymore?
I'm just stirring the pot, people are being far too civil here. Also, what about a top 10 Rampage Crashes of all time for Friday Fails. Gee on the TK drop? Magazza? Bender.... are any of these kids old enough to remember Josh Bender?
  • 4 0
 When I think of crashes the two that come to mind are: 1) Dave Watson cartwheeling into the abyss and 2) Rogatkin stopping everyone's heart collectively as he sluffed over the edge of the cliff. Honorable mention to Mark Matthews whose brutal crash I believe spurred forward a lot of the discussions on rider safety. If I'm honest- around that 2013 event it started to get harder to watch as the risk to the riders vs. the reward started to feel gross. So happy to Paul Bas enjoying riding again but what an brutal journey Rampage started for him. It is important to step back sometimes and remember these are real people who are gambling with real consequences that could change or end their lives.
  • 1 0
 @snl1200: oh god, Mark Matthews' crash was so horrendous. Seriously made me feel sick.
  • 1 0
 @snl1200: The fact that Rogatkin stood up from that and jumped back on his bike was insanity. There was a comment on PB at that time that said something along the lines of "i feel like I am watching a skydiving competition where the goal is to see who can pull their chute closer to the ground"
  • 6 0
 Just to throw another angle into the Rampage debate - there's a lot of talk about the evolution of Rampage over the last 20 years, but not so much about what's evolved outside of Rampage. Any of the top riders in the world can put together an edit these days, and make it as gnarly or slopestyley as they like. Which means that any of us consumers can go find whatever kind of riding style we want to watch, any time. We don't need to wait for the 'big annual competition' to see the cool stuff. As a viewer I see Rampage as a concentration of really cool stuff being done by amazing riders, and couldn't care less about scores and rankings.
  • 2 0
 @MuddyBrit - seems like there's been a ton of talk about that on the pods and the site, esp the part about it being discontinuous (or non-chronological) / edited / fabricated vs. a single moment in time like an event (and also the quality of those edits are an issue). Ya don't have to wait at all, but you can also reply a ton of former rampages (or any race / any style) and fully have the feel for that day, moment, chronology, skill levels, change of time, etc. Rampage is super concentrated and while I love all the edits too and don't really care about scores and rankings (til I do) the event playout is unlike any edit imaginable

It just seems completely unique in comparison and like many sport events - something that is truly honest, completely unscripted (as to outcomes) and something no one can predict beforehand. Dunno...just riffin', but it seems that the overall evolution of freeride (or even DH, XC, slopestyle, etc) is such a broad thing that edits & progression over time don't really compare to a single event like this (?)...maybe they do. I only wish Rampage lasted for days with some different events added on.
  • 1 0
 @Mtn-Goat-13: I agree with all that - I wasn't trying to diminish how awesome an event Rampage is, it was more a response to people complaining about what Rampage ISN'T. Above all, though, I was just killing time because work is really boring me today!
  • 1 0
 @MuddyBrit: I didn't think you were diminishing anything - no worries...just thought w/ all the podcasts I'd heard a good bit of talk about non-events (edits / compiled footage) and how that differs given how many fails a rider may actually have per awesome landing (or good footage). Just chatting really. But: heard. Mostly just like talking bikes here ...and avoiding work too!
  • 8 1
 I've been to Virgin UT many times and those mountains are anything but slopestyle. it doesn't matter how much digging and slap packing they do. those mountains are no joke!
  • 4 0
 New venue every year and less days to build would result in less slopestyle jumps in contests. But lets be real, the general populous outside of cycling watches for tricks, not some guy "riding down a mountain". And big tricks on ridiculous features is still fun to watch, right??
  • 3 0
 If you go and listen to TMac's interview on the Vital podcast, he talks about how Redbull had another site that was brand new, but due to issues with parking and some other problems, they couldn't get clearance from the state to do the event there. They had to pull the plug ~1 month prior, so they went back to a site that they had used before. This is why we are going to see a more slopey event because all the guys have had 10 additional days to dig, so stuff will naturally be in better shape. Hopefully for the next event they can resolve the issues they had this go around.
  • 1 0
 @jaywindh: Makes sense, I hadn't heard about that. Thanks!
  • 1 0
 @jaywindh: It will be interesting to see how next years event goes. Maybe they will have to add more build days for a new location so they can get next years event as built up as this years event?? At least here on PB it seems like there are more for this evolution then against...? Smile

Can't argue with ratings...and I know I'll be watching!
  • 3 0
 The evolution makes sense. First you clean the drop/jump, then you want to trick it. And they are going really really massive. Slopestyle might be getting kinda boring on a laptop, but definitely not if your sitting on the hillside watching it in person. Also, brendog definitely didn't get robbed for the win, but I think he should've got higher then the 8th or 9th that he got for his run in 2018.
  • 4 1
 Calling the quotes from the intro paragraph horseshit already makes me wanna not read further or listen to the podcast. Its probalby horseshit... These are some legitimate opinions that should be voiced, especially when most people here agree that RB caters to the audience and what they like.
  • 3 0
 They have been doing this comp for a long time and bikes improve every year, of course it's not going to be the same. The reason all those straight airs in the early days looked nuts is because you had never seen anything like that before and the bikes could barely handle it. Now the bikes are capable, the riders experienced. It's not going to ever look as gnarly as it first did.
  • 3 0
 I think all this talk about rampage is divisive. Instead, I think we should keep talking about chamois. Like, if you chose not to ride with chamois, does that negatively effect the ability to smuggle grapes? What if you are riding in France, but need to smuggle some grapes back to the US for your Washington winery, whats the most effective chamois for that?
  • 3 0
 @mikelevy @mikekazimer Hate to sound like a little b**** but WHERES MY PB POD this week? Sure do love it - and really get depressed when its not released immediately Thurs AM. Also, I want two pods a week (three is better). Cool, thanks.
  • 2 0
 Sorry, no pod this week - we're currently in the middle of a Field Test and haven't been able to fit in a recording session yet. Those bikes won't ride themselves...
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: I fig'd as much (all caps & gripes were just me BS'ing...would never actually gripe at staff). The pod has just become the most awesome thing I look forward to each week, addictively. Will just have to go back to former pods to get my fix
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: I mean... if you needed a none-professional opinion of a mediocre rider... I could have ridden the bikes while you guys podcasted lol
  • 4 2
 Not slope style. Freeride and Flow. Its art. Its esthetically pleasing. It takes skill and a little more time to build and sculp lips and landings that are not only the correct size and distance for that particular section but also appealing to look at from a spectator perspective. There will still always be a drop, a steep shoot, choppy chunder somewhere on course. But this is finally the icing on the free ride cake.
  • 2 0
 I'm sure that I am in the minority here, and that I will get a lot of hate for saying it. My opinion is that events like Rampage should either be canceled or changed. The riders are all super talented. I just can't stand to watch events where the slightest error, mechanical, or just bad luck can result in serious injury or death. All the posts this year are an example- multiple riders with multiple broken bones and serious time in the hospital. Entertainment is NOT worth it!
  • 5 0
 Kaz was trying to keep Pandora's box closed... then Levy busted it wiiiiiiide open
  • 3 0
 What if us arguing is the only way to save PB from going to a subscription model, since it brings in a lot more views than normal.

So...what's on the menu for arguing about today? Semenuks shorts looks stupid?
  • 4 0
 Sadly anger is what drives engagement on the internet. See the most recent Facebook debacle for proof. The recipe for news outlets nowadays is 1) get your audience outraged 2) let them argue in the comments thereby driving up time spent on the site which in turn increases how much they can charge advertisers 3) reap in the money of the sweet sweet ad revenue.
  • 3 0
 OUCH, is all this stoking the Rampage issue just trying to keep us engaged to keep the Outside overlords happy... dang.
  • 1 0
 @stiingya: Nay...same PB staff, same raw-ass Rampage event w/ just better, bigger, faster and more insane hits & lines. But even if it was - how would that make the "overlords" happy (as if anything else you buy / do / are involved in doesn't have actual overlords)... they don't have time for all this petty commentary - that's all on us...makes us happy
  • 5 3
 Thank you! That was a great podcast!

I'll put my $0.02. I'll use trail building as an analogy. If you're are not participating, you have no say and stop your bitchin'

Walk the talk...

Thanks again Pinkbike for the coverage! Smile
  • 3 1
 @mikekazimer & @brianpark Saying its too groomed is not saying its too safe. If fact it can be argued that making it more groomed is what makes it less safe. It allows them to just go bigger. And bigger takes courage not necessarily skill. Its like American football. They keep padding up the helmets because the hits are more violent than ever. But more padding just means even more harder hits and more injury. Remove those helmets and they wont leading with their heads as much and skill becomes more of a factor. The same with Rampage. the skill to navigate that terrain and do it with style is what it can still be if it wasn't as groomed.
  • 2 0
 Here's the thing about Trek's emmisions report though:

If you haven't figured out that the only reason why they would publish a document like this is marketing, my friend you are completely lost. The only reason why they put out these statistics, is for you to subconciously identify with their brand and hopefully buy more of their bikes. That's it. They care about the environment as much as any other company would.

The actual environmentally responsible thing for them to do would be to ditch the yearly product cycle. But they won't do that, because, you know, money printer goes brrrr and that's all they care about.

Consequentially, the actual environmentally responsible thing to do for you as a consumer would be to stop buying a new bike every year, but you won't do that because you're probably a brainwashed victim of marketing and consumption culture.
  • 1 0
 Question about the flight attendant suspension. How does it compare using against something like the Scott Genius or Scott Ransom that have the 3 way lockout switch on the bar that connects to the fork and shock? Can you compare your experience with the Scott Genius/Ransom vs flight attendant?
  • 1 0
 You should check out Dylan Johnson's YouTube channel. He does videos that break a lot of misconceptions about mountain biking, while citing the scientific studies to back the claims up. He has a recent video which addresses the efficiency of locking out your suspension. The results are that there is essentially no benefit to it other than a perceived one. Makes you question the point of Live Valve and Flight Attendant. Here is a link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR10jYyJ4yE&t=1s . I would also suggest checking out some of his other videos like clips vs flats. It's one of my favorite YouTube channels.
  • 2 0
 @smellycosby, the fact that Flight Attendant makes the suspension adjustments automatically means that the bike spent more time in different modes than it would have with TwinLoc. With Scott's system, I usually end up spending most of my time climbing in the middle "Traction" mode, and then open it up all the way for descents. On the Flight Attendant bike, the fork and shock mode would change multiple times on a climb, especially if there were smoother sections mixed in with chunkier bits. Overall, the FA system requires a little less thinking out on the trail than the TwinLoc system to accomplish similar results.
  • 2 0
 @GBeard: Thanks was interesting video.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: I appreciate your reply to better understand the benefits, thanks!
  • 1 0
 Watched Semenuks bike check, he has new Sram Codes.
But at Rampage, while waiting to drop on run one, the camera keeps panning past him and he has what looks like 2012 Avid Codes on his bike.
Why would he have such old brakes, and running something different from the bike check?

@brianpark
@mikelevy
  • 3 2
 I can want to see a big mountain competition that is about building and riding the rowdiest, techiest line without much focus on tricks, and still enjoy and appreciate Rampage's building and tricking ginormous hits in a big-mountain/slope-style mash-up of a course. Both take absurd amounts of skill, but are different.

Personally, I'd like to see a full big mountain circuit, with judging more in line with skiing big mountain. Where tricks help, but tons of people win events without a single trick.
  • 1 0
 Exactly!
  • 2 0
 They could have an event in green river of big water, that stuffs sick and they wouldn't even need to take out bushes etc.
  • 1 0
 On bike companies pumping out bikes on calendar years like cars, I have always wondered why they feel the need to push out a 2021 rig that is indistinguishable from the 2020 bike. Would almost be better if they had more time to actually develop changes and then just numbered them like iphones instead.
  • 3 2
 Ah the ol' "If you can't do it you can't criticize it" line.

The event has absolutely changed from what it used to be. Sure it's still gnarly. No I can't even come close to doing anything that these riders are doing. But it doesn't feel the same.
  • 2 0
 @mikekazimer I know you may have been joking about the POC overalls, but have you seen the price? I can only find a price for the dungarees which I think are the same material. £450. That's four hundred and fifty. Pounds.
  • 1 0
 I know, it’s insane. I want to try a pair just to see what makes them so expensive. Might have to buy some Carhartt overalls for 1/5 of the price and see how they compare.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: genuinely would love to see them in some comparison or group test where you can either call them out or congratulate them for making an item of clothing that costs more than flights from London to Morzine and back
  • 1 0
 i would like to see a Rampage circuit. Maybe 3-4 events , different locations, culminating at the current Rampage for the championship. Call it free ride, slope style, big mountain, whatever. Rampage is just fine the way it is, a mix of everything big and dangerous. With that being said, it is probably too much to ask these athletes to put themselves at this kind of risk for multiple events in row. But it would be cool to watch, especially if used a few different really exotic and remote locations around the world.
  • 1 0
 This is a slightly controversial opinion because they need to market the event but I wish finals were more veiled in secrecy and more of a surprise rather than YouTubed and instagrammed by everyone and their mother. Probably just the way I consume it though. Similar to not liking a movie spoiled by a preview I like to go in blind and have my mind blown real time.
  • 1 0
 Freeride for sure w/ increasing slopestyle elements - and thats fine. I love it. I'd watch even if they base-jumped out of heli's, land on ramps & got down any way they like - its baller.

Would also love to see a salute to the old days with 2nd day of find-your-line, non-dug & built drops with riders finding whatever way down they can that hasn't been styled out...or kinda a DH style single line they all ride for speed - but maybe that's just not possible (or interesting to most viewers). Lotsa ways shit can be done.
  • 1 0
 ever think maybe the runs are so manicured because you only get 2 runs and they have to be flawless? maybe there should be a time window during the day to put down your Run instead of a limit on 2 run attempts. maybe riders would take bigger risks knowing it wouldnt lose them an attempt. (Semenuk in 2018 comes to mind).
  • 1 0
 Rampage has always been the gnarliest event. I think the more slopestyle the better. It’s still going to be the steepest, loosest, nastiest lines dug by competitors and the teams. I love watching these guys send unreal drops and gaps. But I don’t want to watch someone risk their life for the name of progression.
  • 1 0
 Great pod cast many good points. I think the thing inherent with any big competition is the risk involved in doing this amazingly scary thing right now.

I think it was mentioned previously in a documentary but the pressure to “send it” even if the line isn’t quite done and the wind is not ideal, and your injuries are affecting you, is fairly prominent. When there is a helicopter, an announcer, and the world watching live, riders may not be having the best risk vs reward assessment in their mind.

Likey where veterans shine vs first timers.
Huge respect to Antoine Bizet from a few years ago calling it quits and riding down with his pack on after assessing the risk of a second run.
  • 1 0
 For me it’s all looking too groomed and sparkle on steroids. Yet is steep but most of the lines appears to be so well Doug that they are flow trail smooth where the bike will actually be touching the ground. I will wait for the highlights as live is too slow to make it watchable because the hair between riders is too long
  • 1 0
 Personally, I think it's too slopestyle. It's not that it's not impossibly impressive, but historically, some of the runs lower down the order seem more interesting and just cooler. I think it's for the rampage/slopestyle fans more than the average mtb'er.

I think that's why people prefer a Brendan Fairclough type run to a lot of the slopestyle guys (Semenuk is excluded from this!). Or the rowdy'ness of Lacondeguy last time round.

I know a lot of people that watch every DH World cup, but I am the only one that watches rampage. I think the PB guys (and Canadians?) are probably a bit biased towards freeride than others.
  • 1 0
 Hey Pink BIke, how about some Cape Epic coverage? While RedBull events are spectacles, don't neglect the TdF of mountain biking!!!! I have yet to see anything on Pink BIke regarding this year's race, yet I see pump track event previews and local enduros. Ok, ok, so the Cape Epic doesn't have hellacious crashes which make viewers wince, but come on man, give some XC racing some love. I dare say, that for your GenX readers, the Cape Epic inspires them to get out their and ride and put the miles in, while Red Bull events makes us stay away from the bike after seeing some of those crashes.
  • 1 0
 There's a bunch of videos posted from the Cape Epic Smile
  • 1 0
 Nothing on the old Rose Trail exists anymore, other than a couple of old overgrown snippets of the original trail. There is a housing development running through a part of it. About 6-7 years ago I walked as much as I could with the intent on resurrecting it, but it was too far gone.
  • 1 0
 Frown Memories!
  • 1 1
 @brianpark: No shit Cam won’t come on your podcast when you as an editor talk shit about his town for no reason. Please, enlighten us with all of your experiences in Reno…Oh that’s right, your opinions are based on stereotypes of Vegas and a TV show from 15 years ago. As usual, A+ contributions to the podcast.
  • 2 0
 I talk shit about Reno as well Wink
  • 1 1
 @mikelevy: You should try riding there sometime. Turns out, it's not Vegas.
  • 1 1
 Different question: how seriously do you take the claim that short-travel bikes make riding more fun (general principle) where the specific application is to, say, comparing a 15.5 kg 150/150 bike to a 16 kg 170/170 bike? On its face, it strikes me unlikely that so much fun is unlocked in that small difference. Relatedly, with decades of marketing stiffness or compliance or high freq vibration damping or magic kinematic all met with skepticism or eventually downgraded from science to bro science or a muddy place in between, is ‘fun’ going to emerge as a go-to metric (which conveniently can’t be disproven)? Disclosure of the author’s personal perspective: all mountain biking is fun
  • 4 0
 Answer: No. Just get over it and enjoy the show.
  • 2 0
 Rose Hill -- one of the biggest bits of silliness I've ever done. Glory days. Now-a-days, he kids are probably flipping it. Kids and their damn skateboards.
  • 1 0
 Rose Hill is all houses now sadly.
  • 2 0
 the finale for the day could be Vorheis tobogganing down the mountain on his recumbent while cutting deep ruts through all those perfectly sculpted jump lips and berms
  • 2 0
 Wow pinkbike is looking a lot like Facebook comment threads these days. The fun banter isn’t so fun any more. Way too many keyboard warriors.
  • 3 0
 Is this the rampage australia you were discussing? "Red Bull - Jindabyne 2002"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSVcMoLBh0w
  • 3 0
 Thought for sure y'all were gonna get going on aliens for a second at the beginning...
  • 1 0
 I try to keep it in check but let it slip a little bit there...
  • 1 0
 @mikelevy Equating "too slopestyley" with "Too Safe" is silly. Despite your sneaky url. www.pinkbike.com/news/the-pinkbike-podcast-episode-85-is-the-red-bull-rampage-too-safe.html
  • 1 0
 You're wrong - I do not equate slopestyle with Rampage being too safe. That URL should have ended with 'slopestyle' but I guess I typed the wrong word while rushing. If you listened to the podcast, or read the article, you'd know that none of us feel that way Smile
  • 1 0
 @mikelevy: I know you don't. I was saying its silly to think that when other people say its too "Slopestype" to assume that it means they are saying its too Safe.
Literally the first words of the Podcast: "I think ultimately when people complain about it being too manicured (slopestyle) what they're really saying is its to safe."
Brian was equating the term to manicured (slopestyle) with too safe. Thats just not true. I think its the manicured nature of it that makes it less safe. they wouldn't be doing the 40+ft drops if it didn't have that landing. Finding a natural line that allows for a Twhip or wall ride or 360 is way more impressive to me, even if its "only" 15' high, than one on a groomed 30' drop.

I was wrong to tag you, I should've tagged Brian Park.
  • 2 0
 Is it possible for @mikelevy to return to the original rampage venue and hit some savage lines on a Brodie 8 Ball? I feel like this is a small request Smile
  • 1 0
 No, that is 100% not possible.
  • 1 0
 @mikelevy: How many seconds did you debate actually doing it lol
  • 1 1
 Levey is rad, but I was a bit disappointed with the climate change joke. Hope he does some reading if he wasn’t actually joking.

Much love y’all, keep up with the awesome podcasts that get me through my workday.
  • 2 0
 What's wrong with joking about climate change? Just because I joke about aliens doesn't mean I don't know they're real. I have so many good plastic straw jokes ready for the next podcast!
  • 2 2
 Most people associate the slopestyle with Semenuk which is ironic because he has been doing Rampage as long as almost any of the competitors so then it would have always been slopestyle influenced.
  • 3 0
 Who commented "should have been a podcast" on Kaz's article?
  • 2 0
 That was me, sorry.
  • 2 0
 It’s freeride! Make it from top to bottom in the coolest way possible, that’s it.
  • 2 1
 Let the viewers determine who is the winner. They will be happy with the viewership and we will vote for our favorite.
I give my vote for Wade Simmons Smile
  • 2 1
 It's so smooth just water and pack the trails a little bit harder and host a big mountain skateboarding/ scooter rollerblade freestyle event.
  • 1 0
 Along the lines of the sustainability report…how about new bikes have to come with an “emissions” label like appliances have the energy usage guide. Informed decisions
  • 2 0
 That ad read was pretty weird for a product that I've never heard of before.
  • 1 0
 #pinkbike podcast. Thanks for the answer to my question. Topic for a podcast best trainer music. I am a country fan but sometimes just turn your podcast on for trainer days.
  • 1 0
 @mikelevy it’s been 2 weeks man where the hell my next podcast???? this is unacceptable! I need the hit. Got the sweats, shivers, everything is itchy. Hurry up!
  • 1 0
 Was never called RedBull Rampage Australia. …… it was called RedBull RIDE in Jindabyne.
  • 5 7
 What's your favorite color....BLUE....wrong.

People have preferences, nothing wrong with spectators preferring the old Rampages over today's, after all, it's the spectators that drive all of this.....there is not a wrong answer as much as PB wants there to be.

Saying it looks like a slopestyle course, I believe, is accurate....saying it's smooth, I'd say that is a fact....that doesn't mean it's bad or it in anyway depredates what these dudes are doing as much as the Mike(s) are trying to make it seem like that.
  • 12 8
 "Saying it looks like a slopestyle course, I believe, is accurate....saying it's smooth, I'd say that is a fact"

No, that's called an opinion. A poorly formed one because you haven't been there in person. You're only relying on photos and videos to form your opinion.

The only ones saying it looks like a slopestyle course are the ones who have never seen this in person. Without being overly insulting, you and the others making claims like this are simply ignorant with no understanding of how consequential, exposed and huge these hits are and a smooth landing doesn't negate that.

Claiming Rampage is like a slopestyle course is like saying Val di Sole is a flow trail because it has a couple of berms. But hey, maybe you know better than every legendary freerider and everyone else who has competed and participated at Rampage.
  • 5 13
flag RadBartTaylor (Oct 14, 2021 at 8:48) (Below Threshold)
 @scott-townes: ok Karen....you do realize that you are the one making this an issue? When I and others say that it looks like slopestyle or looks smooth.....does in NO way say that it's not risky, not huge or not consequential.....how do you jump to that conclusion?

Kinda seems like you think calling something "slopestyle" means it's not gnarly or impressive...have you seen a slopestyle course up close? They are gnarly and huge....FYI
  • 5 0
 @scott-townes: agreed. I went to the rampage site recently expecting to hit quite a few of the features. It’s so much bigger and scarier in person, and I pretty much left with my tail between my legs.
  • 5 3
 @scott-townes: Dude your posts get kinda toxic, no reason for it.
To start, there are for sure still natural lines and drops being ridden. BUT, I don't have to have walked the course to see how much building has been done. We can all see the stacks of sandbags... We can all see the different dirt being used to build up some of the lines. That one elevated "white" berm jump transition honestly looks like concrete! Smile Those are facts.

That doesn't take away from how extreme the lines are or how exposed they are and how dangerous this is. The riding is amazing.

Your opinion seems to be that it's not slopestyle because of where it's built and how extreme it is. But that has nothing to do with it. If you build a huge jump over rocks in Utah, or build a huge jump over smooth groomed downhill runs in BC, or build a huge jump out of plywood and scaffolding in a parking lot; you've still built a huge jump.

Honestly I don't think there is a black and white definition of how much building is still "freeride" and at one point you've built so much that it's "slopestyle". But that is the very correct point the OP is making here. My favorite color is green and that's not wrong... Smile
  • 4 3
 @stiingya: Don't you find it strange that yourself and the others hating on Rampage have never been in person? I mean the only ones hating on it have never been or ridden anything remotely close to the most basic parts of their lines.... Hmmmmmm.......

You say I'm being "toxic", I say I'm calling out clueless keyboard warriors on your BS. Its honestly hilarious how ignorant your guys' posts are and how unwilling you are to accept the views of literally everyone that's been there, those who have competed and those who have literally created freeriding.

This is just like watching weekend warriors ripping on the FWT guys because they're competing in untracked powder making the lines easier and less consequential to ride.
  • 2 2
 @scott-townes: This! There are so many enduro bros out here who have never been to virgin and have noooo idea of how gnarly these "smooth flow tracks" are.
  • 2 2
 @RadBartTaylor: I've seen many slope courses up close and have walked a lot of lines at multiple Rampages over the years.


Kinda like you're operating with way less information, huh?
  • 2 1
 @scott-townes: so you agree with me....if some of us say the runs look more "slopestyle" and prefer less manicured lines, to you that somehow means we think the runs are less gnarly or somehow not worthy? Seems like you are projecting some drama that isn't there.....your getting wrapped around your own axle here bud...

@stiingya is spot on....
  • 2 2
 @RadBartTaylor: LOL yeah, you guys have fun justifying your ignorance. Take a trip out to the Utah desert next time.
  • 2 1
 @scott-townes: So tell us about your time riding Val di Sole. Cause as you say a person could not possibly have an opinion on Val di Sole unless you've been to Val di Sole.

right...
  • 1 0
 You are not going to wait to reveal the Grim Donut v2 till episode 100- are you?! LAME!!
  • 1 0
 Webster's Dictionary defines slopestyle as a type of freestyle riding, or rather...freeriding.
  • 1 0
 Most importantly, @mikekazimer did you ever have @mikelevy listen to Gojira? What'd he think?
  • 2 2
 When I heard they were re using an already smoothed pit venue I was disappointed
  • 6 1
 There were plans for a new venue but they fell through. IMO this Rampage is infinitely better than no Rampage, and I think the next time around will be much more raw.
  • 1 0
 @brianpark: something I would love to see and would be ok if it was behind a paywall. Buyer safety.basically make sure that the person selling you a BIKe actually mails you it. I know if be a lot of work but I'd today be worth it.
  • 1 1
 how is this even an complaint? are you kooks gonna send it off those cliffs?
  • 2 0
 LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE
  • 1 0
 Where's EP 86?
  • 4 0
 @bot-fly: Ahhhh shit. We're at Field Test again right now, but we'll have one this week Smile
  • 1 1
 DAM YOU BRANDON! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?
  • 3 2
 No. It's not.
  • 2 1
 NO, it is not.
  • 1 1
 YES RAW BIG MOUNTAIN it is Not







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