Red Bull Rampage 2008-2013: An Iconic Venue for Groundbreaking Performances

Words like 'iconic' often get thrown around too easily, but the 2008-2013 Red Bull Rampage site is certainly worthy of the label - with the aptly named Oakley Icon Sender taking center stage and offering the bravest riders an opportunity to write their names in the history books of the world's premier big mountain event. Anybody who's been following the sport for a while will easily recall some of the monumental feats that went down on this imposing, wooden structure, and they'll probably also tell you about the controversy that surrounded the very idea of bringing wood onto these hallowed grounds. In fact, the Oakley Icon Sender was preceded by the Canyon Gap, the first version of which was already built for the 2008 event. Since these days, the event has moved away from wooden features (partially replaced by copious amounts of sandbags), but looking back, we can't help noticing that the lines sculpted were a lot rougher than they are today, wood or no wood - some of these landings were a bit soft (to say the least!):

As the event returned to the same venue in 2010, the Oakley Sender went up and so did the expectations (and the blood pressure) of everybody involved, be it riders, crew, or spectators. Some riders were drawing up plans for world firsts off the massive, man-made booters and senders, while others preferred to stay with the all-natural approach. Of the latter church, Gee Atherton took a fast and rough route down the mountain, capping off his run with a huge stepdown wallride that had most of us either screaming at our screens or just shaking our heads in disbelief. Gee is one of the ultimate bike handlers in the world so it should not have come as a big surprise to see him stomp this line, but it was still bigger and gnarlier than most other moves ever attempted at the time (and Gee did end up crashing on the same feature in 2012, proving that it was certainly no gimme). The run saw Gee land in second place at the event, and it sure feels like he earned it when you study the wallride in all its slomo glory (we're frothing at the thought of seeing the riders dust off this feature for 2022 again!):

Meanwhile, on Planet Oakley, Cam Zink was getting ready to make his bid for glory, and what a bid it was. The "360 Heard Around The World" was a tale of two attempts, the first ending with a brutal slam, the second with the event win. It was truly an emotional moment for those watching, perfectly illustrated by the tears of relief of Cam's wife, Manders Zink, who was attending the event while pregnant with their first child.

Rampage would return to the same site in 2012 and 2013, with the riders refining their approach and the wooden features taking a more and more prominent role. The Canyon Gap was to provide the launching pad for another iconic Rampage moment as Kelly McGarry (RIP McGazza!) landed a massive backflip that saw him walk away with second place in the contest and the People's Choice award to boot. The Oakley Sender grew bigger, and it would retain its place as one of the most important moves for anybody with title aspirations. Cam Zink continued to make history as he landed was what at the time the biggest backflip in MTB history (earning him the Best Trick award and third place in the contest), while his buddy Kyle Strait cemented his legend status by becoming the first ever two-time event winner as he launched a massive suicide no-hander on the feature in 2013.

What can we expect as Rampage returns to this site for 2022? At this point we don't really know what the builders have cooked up, but it's safe to say that there is untapped potential on that part of the mountain, and there are still riders looking for redemption 10 years later. After winning in 2008, Semenuk never really managed to make his line work at this venue, but he had some mouth-watering (and anxiety-inducing!) features in his runs and we're curious to see if he picks up where he left off. T-MAC built a natural drop here that was comparable to the Oakley Icon Sender in size, and he has always placed well but will surely be looking to go a few notches better this time around. Kurt Sorge is now a three-time event winner and one of those wins came at this venue - will it provide an opportunity for Kurt to join Semenuk as the only four-time event winner? Andreu Lacondeguy probably feels like he left something on this hill too, having finished in fourth place no less than three times at this very place. Throw in a bunch of hungry youngsters who have not competed here before, and we should be in for another groundbreaking show in this historic arena.

To conclude this article with a little inspiration for those who feel like Rampage is best "au naturel", here is Pierre-Eduoard Ferry aka PEF navigating this knife-edge ridgeline with exemplary flow and poise in 2013. Proof that you don't need a degree in carpentry to build a sick line out here!

The 2022 edition of Red Bull Rampage will run on October 21 - keep it locked here on Vital as riders arrive on site and start digging in the coming days!

Previous podium finishers at this Rampage venue:

2008