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I thought one of WBD’s main goals was to improve the juniors category and to support young riders. Well, they actually achieved that goal — the depth of talent has never been greater in the junior ranks. I’d even go as far as to say it’s sometimes more exciting to watch the juniors than the elites. Hats off. By scrapping the junior category, WBD isn’t just dropping the improvements — they’re abandoning one of their core goals: developing and supporting young riders. So either that goal was pure PR talk, or this is one of the first WBD decisions that...

I heard it's increasing to 40 for the men.

Keep in mind that’s revenue for all Maxxis products and we make waaaaaay more than just bike tires. In the grand scheme of things, bike makes up a small part of that revenue. Believe me, I’m always trying to get my hands on some of that auto marketing budget!

I took my kids down the river to watch their hero win the overall in MSA. When I told them this awful news, my ten year old asked me if I could send the Goldstone’s some love on the Vital forums. Please do so on our behalf; we’re thinking of your fam here in Montréal. ❤️

I just want to say I completely disagree with every single point. A simple down vote wasn't enough. Just because you can't fathom what drives others, doesn't give you the right to demean them.

No hate but I think this is a bit of an ignorant point of view. It is an extreme event we are debating so strong opinions on both sides are set to come out. I don't think a single one of those riders even considers fame or money when building their line. Their drivers are likely the rush of a complete run, the satisfaction of their line working, the high of adrenaline, their desire to push the sport and themselves and the goal of winning. There is not a single one who has an urge to mutilate themselves. Every rider...

I can't be the only one thinking 6 bikes between 2 people isn't that many bikes? 1XC, 1 Enduro, 1DH, X2 people seems pretty well rounded. Maybe swap a longer travel trail bike for the Enduro.

Maybe you could pay for it in two separate installments

single pivot ≠ crab

Based on the broadcast explanation of the judging, Rampage is similar (and presumably influenced) by judging from these freeride snow comps. However, I don’t think it’s as refined. Back in the day on the Freeskiing World Tour, your line choice was scored first (1-10 scale). Then the other categories were (fluidity, amplitude, control, technique if I remember correctly) were scored based on this line score. You could not score more than two points higher in any other category than your line. A perfect score was a 50 (all categories maxed out at 10). It was then always a balance to...

As one who had a 'career' in freeride and spent that career working to get into Rampage, I have a lot to say about Rampage, its evolution, and its current state. I will try to keep it short. The professionalization of Rampage over the last 25 years has made for a better event. Riders and builders are better paid. It has resulted in more coverage, more reward, and the ability to build a professional career around the event. Is it perfect? No. But it is pretty darn good. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Has it gotten safer for athletes...

i just wanted to say how much i appreciate the discussion you're all having about this, keeping it thoughtful and caring. whether you're for or against the level of risk, i think it's clear that everyone here cares about the riders first and foremost, and that makes me proud of this community. some care that the riders have the freedom to make their own choices, some care about protecting them from exploitation or going too far. regardless of outlooks, thank you for all the input and experiences and sharing. no matter what, i hope that all the injured riders make...

Interesting for sure but I feel like the actual reality of the top being " about free riding and creative raw lines" isn't practical or that interesting to most, athletes probably included. The concept of what that actually entails is barely even tangible. Either you get a bunch of people just skidding down some loose dirt or you get people who will build the biggest shit they can like gee's drop last year which is a whole other kind of danger. And trying a double backflip on the lower section still caries a great risk and the bottom is just...

I also want to say big respect to Reed Boggs for dealing with a frustrating situation yesterday with wisdom and class. It's got to be tough standing at the top, knowing that you have a good chance of dropping in and potentially winning the whole thing (or at least placing top 3), choosing discretion over valor, and then congratulating the winner as you choose to step away from the start gate.

The Monday Morning Quarterback session has become as much a part of Red Bull Rampage as the event itself. It’s the collective catharsis we all need after something that feels less like a sports competition and more like modern-day gladiators in the desert. We’ll justify it, theorize ways to make it safer, and question the ethics, but the event will (probably) keep going. As long as the athletes want to ride, the fans want to watch, and Red Bull is willing to provide the infrastructure/distribution, it’ll continue. And deep down, we all know what’s likely to happen someday. Like @Buckets...

First and above all else, my thoughts are with Adolf and his family. That was the most grotesque crash I have ever seen. Background: I competed on the Freeskiing World Tour from 2001-2009. In the span from ~03 to 2011, three individuals died competing including one person in Alaska at an event that I was at, waiting up top to drop on my run. That experience has had lasting repercussions on my life. There are still big mountain freeskiing contests and people are still risking it all at these events. I still watch them. Rampage Take: There is something fundamentally...

Emil has reported on insta -- " suffered a big dislocation of my right hip that they managed to pop back in at the hospital… but will most likely need to get surgery on it to clean the socket up from pieces of bone. Besides that I am pretty much unscratched!"

Tough day yesterday. I was sort of watching off and on while working on a truck project outside. Unfortunately, I was watching during Silva's crash. It was absolutely awful to see. It was crazy how Rogatkin uttered, "No!" halfway through Silva's double flip attempt. He could clearly see that he wasn't going to make it and knew that the resultant crash would be catastrophic.

Not showing a crash (insulating people from the realities) won’t accomplish much for rider safety. It will definitely be better for the sport as people won’t be scared away from viewing. Many other sports have matured to be open and honest about the realities and dangers. It is nice, however, that they don’t replay the crash and zoom in on the lifeless athlete. That is a respect thing though, in my opinion.