This past weekend’s Red Bull Rampage lit up everyone’s SM feeds – both the highlights and the lowlights. As amazing as the riding was, the injuries were hard to watch. 

One under-rotated double backflip and you’re asking yourself if that rider is even alive. The final body count was 8 – 5 of the ladies (50% of the field) and 3 guys ended the weekend in the hospital.

That’s sparked the same question I’ve heard for years but felt louder this time: has Rampage gone too far?

As a long time fan of the Rampage I had a few thoughts that I wanted to share and an idea for how to save it from itself. But first, a little history about how we got here.

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I started riding in 2000, right at the beginning of the Freeride revolution.

Freeride changed mountain biking forever. In fact, what we think of as mountain biking was really born during this era.

Advances in hardware is what unlocked it. Forks like the Marzocchi Z1 and early disc brakes from Hayes let riders push bikes in ways we hadn’t seen before.

And for a while the industry went all-in on the movement. In fact, if a bike had 4” or more of travel, it was marketed as a  “Freeride Bike.”

Early MTB media poured fuel on it. Iconic series like Down/ Double Down, Kranked and New World Disorder documented the evolution of our sport.

Then in 2001 Red Bull stepped in and held the first Rampage. There had been some Freeride competitions before, but to do it right you needed serious money, which is where Red Bull came came in.

That first Rampage was like UFC 1 for MMA – it was a distinct moment in time that truly changed our sport forever..

However, the industry eventually realized you can’t market Freeride to the casual rider.

It’s visually stunning, but it’s also dangerous and way out of reach for most people.

So they tried to bury it. Overnight, “Freeride” became a dirty word and we all got a heavy dose of XC racing hype instead.

And as part of the Freeride purge, Rampage went away after 2004.

Meanwhile slopestyle started to gain popularity. It was spectacular, easier to host, and simple to package: build jumps, toss tricks, crown a winner.

So in 2008, Red Bull saw another opportunity and Rampage came back – but this time with a slopestyle twist.

At first it was a few wooden features that were prebuilt so that the riders could incorporate them into their lines. 

The real shift happened, though, when water started getting hauled to the top so build crews could sculpt the mountain.

Now riders could truly blend big-mountain lines with slopestyle tricks.

Fast-forward to today and you basically have to throw big tricks all the way down to podium.

However, this progress has a cost.

Riders keep getting better. The lines keep getting bigger. The tricks keep getting heavier.

But consequences grow with them.

Bigger jumps and drops mean bigger prices when things go wrong.

Here’s the thing – the riders will always find a way to push the envelope. 

The question isn’t whether they can stick it. It’s whether they can survive the misses.

So how do you keep the show – and the riders – alive?

IMO, you have to go back to the roots.

Make it big-mountain Freeride first, not slopestyle on a ridge.

A simple guardrail could help – limit each rider to one or two water-sculpted features.

Everything else has to use natural terrain or what a crew can shape without water.

Will it reduce the trick count? Probably.

Will it keep the riding closer to what the human body can survive when it goes wrong? 

I believe so.

It’s the same logic the NFL used when it changed rules to reduce head trauma. Sometimes you protect athletes from themselves, because competitors are wired to ignore the cost.

And honestly, this would also get things closer to the spirit of mountain biking – using the mountain/ trail as your canvas to express your skills.

Now, I’ll admit that this could be seen as a bit hypocritical.

I’ve sculpted lips, built skinnies, and love a good wooden feature.

So I’m not saying these things shouldn’t exist.

I’m saying Rampage needs a better balance so it reflects the spirit of mountain biking and doesn’t become an arms race with the worst possible ending.

I know this take isn’t perfect. It’s just one rider’s opinion, so take it for what it’s worth.

So what do you think? 

Until next time…

Ride Strong,

James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems