2016 Pinkbike Awards - Freeride / Slopestyle Event of the Year Winner

Freeride / Slopestyle Event of the Year

There were a number of solid contenders vying for this year's Freeride / Slopestyle Event of the Year, including Nico Vink's LooseFEST, Red Bull Rampage, and Crankworx Whistler. Each event had moments that saw the boundaries of the sport pushed even further, all in front of teeming crowds of enthusiastic spectators.

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This year, it was the Red Bull Rampage that earned the title, a comeback of sorts after last year's drama-filled event that had many questioning whether it had run its course. Rather than shelve the world's most viewed freeride event, Red Bull listened to the athletes and implemented multiple changes in order to make sure this year's edition was as safe and fair as possible. By all accounts those changes worked, and the 2016 Red Bull Rampage was one of the best on record.

The changes to the event for 2016 included a smaller list of invited riders, an increase in the amount of build time that athletes and their dig crews had to sculpt their lines, and a cadre of judges who all had previous Rampage competition experience. The venue itself was brand new, giving riders a blank canvas to scrape and sculpt giant kickers and landings, often with massive amounts of exposure on each side.




Brandon Semunuk ended up taking home the win with a flowy and futuristic run that was the perfect mix of slopestyle skill and big mountain mastery, exactly the type of riding that has kept the Red Bull Rampage relevant after all of these years. When asked about this year's competition, Semenuk said, “The event will continue to take shape as time moves forward, but I think that it's safe to say that 2016 was the best Rampage so far for the riders.”

It was one of the best events for the fans as well, with camera angles and commentary that kept viewers on the edge of their seats, eagerly (and nervously) waiting to see the world's best freeriders drop in. Keeping spectators and riders happy isn't an easy thing to do, but this year Red Bull pulled it off, and for that the 2016 Red Bull Rampage earns the title of Pinkbike's Freeride / Slopestyle Event of the Year.


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