The Five Gnarliest Crashes at Red Bull Rampage

Sep 13, 2012
by Red Bull Bike  

Most of the footage from Red Bull Rampage features spectacular performances from skilled riders as they thread their way down the mountain, so it’s easy to forget just how brutal freeriding can be in the Utah landscape where the event takes place. Past competitors Josh Bender, Lance Canfield, Wade Simmons, Garrett Buehler and Cam McCaul give us all a reality check with these five major crashes from Red Bull Rampage over the years.

Title image by Malcolm Mclaws.

Author Info:
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Member since Jun 28, 2012
634 articles

145 Comments
  • 168 9
 Oh god it's the Redbull media player!!
  • 21 0
 The entire time i'm just thinking, ouch! :O
  • 29 12
 Gayest player going! Won't play at all on iPhone!!
  • 25 1
 yet in the past years, no one seems to be wearing body armour like in the old days...
  • 13 1
 For iphone and ipad get the redbull tv app. it`s free
  • 20 3
 Just watched it on my iPhone. Not sure what your issue is.
  • 19 3
 i'm scared to see someone die someday during the rampage. those 5 dudes are lucky to be not dead. In video games, if you land flat this high you die. :s
  • 6 0
 Just downloaded the redbull tv app working fine now cheers Gruta
  • 2 59
flag sessionman123abc (Sep 13, 2012 at 17:56) (Below Threshold)
 old rampage is better, it was slopestyle
  • 1 2
 Got the RB app, it sux as the video quality sucks balls.
  • 18 0
 wade simmons wins! that was gnarly!
  • 6 88
flag Treksession99 (Sep 13, 2012 at 19:33) (Below Threshold)
 WOW U THINK THIS IS BAD WELL FUCK U DONT RATE DOWN U MOTHER FUCKERS
  • 15 0
 Just did
  • 5 1
 Haha me too ballbag!!
  • 7 0
 what are you even trying to say?
  • 16 2
 What he is trying to say is that when darth vader came to eath to tell him that he was his his gay lover and was forced down to the dark side of his croch, he gagged and threw up on the keyboard and accidentally pressed enter!! .......... Basically a load of bullshit!!
  • 28 36
flag The-Medic (Sep 13, 2012 at 22:53) (Below Threshold)
 "Gayest player going! Won't play at all on iPhone!!"

Maybe that's cause the Iphone is the worst "smart phone" ever invented (Almot as lame asusing the term "gayest" as a derogatory term... it's almost 2013...Seriously, I have to believe you're a better person then that mate). Nothing like using paying customers as Beta testers and still charging them top dollar for the "newest and greatest" device that you'd think would be trouble/bug free. The only thing the Iphone does CONSISTANTLY is break. I use a Driod Commando, and while it still has some of the common issues that all DUMB-PHONES have ("predictive text and auto correct that makes you want to sSCREAM every time you use it" and a keyboard that when in use completely blocks the bax you're trying to type in etc), it's light years ahead of the Iphone AND it's water roof AND smash-proof. plu it comes loade with a whole suite of "outoddr" type apps that REALLY come in handy out in the boonies weather you've got service or not... oh and they WORK just as advertised unlike that SHAM tht is the new "siri" adds of Apples...I f*cking HATE that bitch).. Iphones are, to me, like GM's ever expanding line of SUV's: only good for keeping "in style" with the rest of the women at the club... aka TOTAL GARBAGE!!!!!
  • 8 22
flag The-Medic (Sep 13, 2012 at 23:00) (Below Threshold)
 @GabrielDugas: "i'm scared to see someone die someday during the rampage. those 5 dudes are lucky to be not dead. In video games, if you land flat this high you die. :s"

WORD... I thought the SAME thing when I watched the vid aye...

I AM however glad to see that with all the tech and engineering going into making us all go faster, fly higher and land smoother that at least the protective gear industry is really stepping it up in terms of their prooducts and what they can do to save your life. You're old enough to know that even 10 years ago some of these guys WOULD be dead considering what passed for "protective gear" at the beginning aye... I always think of the guy (famous DH racer whos name escapes me right now) who took a rock-drop short-cut and killed himself on the rocks (believe he crushed his chest or something???) ... Not sure if he woud'e been riding today, but I firmly believe that had he had some fo the current crop f protective gar he'd at LEAST still be with us today. As a Medic of 15 years I can say with complete certainty that even THE toughest man on the plannet is still a VERY VERY fragile organism.

I'm kind of waitingto se soe pro's/comanes come out with "rampage bikes" that in the event f these major crashes break into a million pieces to help absorb some of the energy of these crashes... kind of like the way cars are designed or more specifically, lie F1 Cars that are designed to let a driver g head on nto he wall at 100+mph and walk away... could be jus the ticket considering how much these guys are pushing it aye. As they say, :it isn't the speed that kills you, it's sudden stop" Wink
  • 17 11
 Haha o.k mate you made your point.. I think... I dunno, I mean I fell asleep halfway through your RANT, it would make great bedtime reading! when I got to the 47th line bam I was gone with the fairys!! You should publish it and sell it as a replacement for sleeping pills, you would make a killing!...... Instead of playing with your phone,, sorry your DROID COMMANDO all the time, put your hands to use, like......mmmmmmmm.......... Getting a girlfriend!! But hey you know, everybody's entitled to thair opinion...............
  • 18 1
 Seriously guys... You are talking about RB mediaplayer and iPhone in redbull rampage video? Did you even notice what happened in that vid?
  • 2 0
 holy fuck josh bender that was knarly, and cam mc caul, fuck tht hey were all knarly i was saying to myself here ouch, shit OMFG, how do they suvive these i think sometimes
  • 1 0
 Those crashes were soooo gnarly dude! I'll never forget Josh bender's one. ALL of these riders have big nerves!

by the way, do a quick research on 'planned obsolescence'. It will explain how new products are made to break easier (for the debate comments over the iPhone I read!)
  • 1 0
 Works fine on my iPad...
  • 4 0
 How did bender not die from that holy shit..
  • 5 3
 haha @medic you utter dick, stuck in your tunnel vision. the iphone is one of the best phones out there, ask samsung who felt the need to copy and are now fighting a lawsuit against apple. if they do break as you claim, software updates are regular and free and when i did have an ariel problem it was swapped for a brand new phone and everything switched over within 15 minutes of entering the store. the phones arent dumb, you are, its pretty simple to turn off autocorrect and predictive text in the settings of any phone. as for apps, youve got an android phone so the apps youre claiming to be amazing can be accessed by the rest of the android market regardless of handset, and also, yes as you might hate anyone with an iphone, if its on the android market, its on the apple store too. and that keyboard problem sounds like its just youre phone thats a problem, most are very easy to use as as iphones are so universally compatible with accessories you can buy a slide on keyboard that attaches to the back for around 20 usd, a waterproof shockproof case for about 80usd, cases are nice and cheap because theres so many out there, keep your casio piece of shit.

and we can work out the main points of what youre getting across, we dont need the little hints in capital letters
  • 1 0
 They're good phones, I just hate the brand. Anyway, let's go to the forums for a debate like this. Wink
  • 3 17
flag The-Medic (Sep 14, 2012 at 22:19) (Below Threshold)
 @EvoMTB you BOY are a f*cking IDIOT.... plain and simple. You're 17... WHAT THE f*ck DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING, other then skinny jeans and how NOT to get laid???? NO, they are not quality phones, in fact I'm fairy sure Apple is the inventor of modern "planned obsolesence" (look it up, but don't use your Iphone as I'm sure that's "blocked content" lest Apple customers learn how f*cked a product they spent their money on... I'll give you credit for this, your skills at cutting and pasting from the internet are top knotch, I'm just amazed you know your right from left.

@Jester1826: HAHAHAHAHAHA I had to laugh at that one aye... yes indeed, I have "the gft of gab" aye. But I'm glad I could be of assistance getting you off to seep aye Wink Oh and my FIANCE doesn't mind me playing with my phone...as long as she get's her's first Wink

SO I bag on the I-phone and I get pos. proppd and I make a comment about how gnarly the crashes were and I get neg propped??? Only on PB aye Wink ...
  • 6 0
 Seriously now mate AYE, get back in bed then get up on the other side from now on! Your obviously getting up on the wrong side!! You seem to just be having a go at ANYBODY!! Just chiilll! It's only a phone!!..........
  • 6 0
 someone likes to rant...
  • 3 1
 yeah whatever you age prejudiced knob, i wear slim jeans occasionally mainly straight leg, and im pleasing my girlfriend more than your father ever did to you, but why should i have to justify that? thats that got to do with anything? and welcome to consumerism dick wad, anything you buy now will have limited life to make you get the next one, eg you're droid commando pos v 1.2

and to clarify, what could you possibly think was pasted? i typed that all because it needed to be said and i can construct a decent argument with the knowledge i have. stop playing the lad, grow up and get out of your dead end job because something must be giving you all this rage. did you hit thirty and realise youve got nothing? aww let it out on the internet AYE
  • 3 10
flag The-Medic (Sep 17, 2012 at 13:53) (Below Threshold)
 So you admit you're a skinny jeans wearing farrah haired little Bieber fan??? I knew it!!!!!! Buddy, I wouldn't call that stuffed animal you hump every night to be a Girlfriend...plus, whith as GIRLY as you "boys" look these days, how are you sure you're not boffing your best mate??? Gotta be confusing. Wink

Ya know why there's only a V1.2 op-system??? Cause it works...I wouldn't use a system that's need more updates then an Orange County Housewife's face as an example of quality engineering (here's a hint, when they release a new operating system or update within 6 weeks of the last one...something is WRONG with their engineering model, it's called "rushing to market" and its NEVER been a good business practice). Lots of people buying something doesn't make it a quality product, it's a TREND...lots of People buy Justin Bieber CD's (I'm guessing youve got a few in the que on your I-tunes account aye Wink I'm totally right aren't I...) DOESN'T MEAN HE'S A QUALITY ATIST does it??? It MEANS it's a trend. Sorry that I upset you by decrying (it means calling out the horrible quality in this instance, I knoew you woudn't know that) your beloved Iphone, but they're crap and so are your deductive resoning skills...
  • 3 9
flag The-Medic (Sep 17, 2012 at 13:54) (Below Threshold)
 Oh and you wanted to know why I'm so angry all the time??? Besides being a Red-headed Scott (it's in our nature) it's most likely because I see the world declining into total chaos and disaster... and the futrue generations are more concerned with TEXTING ON THEIR IPHONES and trending on twitter then learning anything and not FOLLOWING THE HEARD... wait till you're old enough to be responsible for your own life and you watch what will become the future leaders of the world wasting their time trying to become pop-stars... I' m sorry, but "generation talentless" (that would be you) are NOT going to pull us out of this international NOSE DIVE were in. Sad thing is there ARE some really intelegent younger people out there (even a few on these boards) but you're not one of them, and they're the EXCEPTION, not the RULE... now sit down and let's have a little lesson:. Sad I know, but I'd start practicing for your future career...say it with me now: "DO YOU WANT CHIPS WITH THAT???" Wink

BTW in tems of my "dead end carreer": yeah, I'd call Emergency seriveces and Health Care a TOTALLY dead end career... Sure, that goes right along with the rest of your lie of reasoning.
  • 3 0
 inboxed
  • 2 0
 i have no idea whats going on
  • 2 0
 Just some dude chatting on how he's marrying his phone and how much he loves it! No big deal!....
  • 1 0
 @the medic.... most scottish people aren't such massive pricks. end yourself now, please. your rants are reasonably fun to read, but seriously, stop having a go at anyone about anything.
  • 1 0
 poor ginger =S
  • 2 0
 Lol^^
  • 2 0
 I am 95% sure The-Medic is gay.
  • 1 0
 Like I said earlyer, hes darth vaders gay lover lol
  • 91 0
 cam looked like he was gonna crash at least 3 times until he finally bit the dirt there...
  • 20 0
 ya I was thinking "whens it going to happen?" and saw him go to the crowd and thought his run was over until he kept going, such a boss!
  • 2 0
 Unreal. It's really too bad he crashed after holding on and not wiping out all those times.
  • 3 0
 yea apparantly he hadnt even done a full run of his line yet, he was too busy digging in practice
  • 8 0
 it was like waiting for the guy to lose his arm in hot tub time machine
  • 75 0
 Wade Simmons landed flat on his back and just gets up casually...Rampage is insane!
  • 28 0
 Wade Simmons...the entire reason I got into the scene. Those early boys sure took a beating progressing our sport...
  • 10 0
 He got away with that one big time ... that was a terrifying crash man !
  • 11 0
 Ha he got up from one of the worst looking crashes in the video. he also got me into the sport. it took one shot...nwd 3 freewheel burning where he jumps over the truck.
  • 5 0
 I couldn't believe it the first time I saw it.. I still can't believe it today! Superhero status for sure.
  • 2 0
 like days after he heeled up from a broken femur too
  • 4 0
 agreed. wade simmons was like the syringe that addicted me to this sport, it seems forever ago. but the lance canfield crash has always stuck in my mind as the crash of my worst nightmares. another great pioneer of our sport.
  • 1 0
 How did bender fall?
  • 1 0
 ^ a better question, HOW MUCH he was falling?
  • 2 0
 didn't even have to watch the video to know which Simmons crash this was. I was there, and we all thought he was dead until he popped back up.
  • 19 0
 Benders crash was so gnarly
  • 57 0
 benders chrashes are always gnarly
  • 24 1
 Everything Bender does is gnarly
  • 10 11
 "This is Bender" was always hilarious...essentially him falling off stuff for 10 minutes and occasionally landing one relatively near/on the bike
  • 7 0
 Josh Bender... wow dude. I dont think I have ever seen you in a video where your not eating major shiit
  • 1 0
 Did he break his back or anything? that was such a nasty hit
  • 11 0
 Bender looked like he had no intention of landing that huck. Wades lil mid air tuck saved him. Gotta love how Bueler holds onto the bike thru the whole tumble. Cam looked like he had about 3 saves and was right on the edge the whole run up till his crash.
  • 13 0
 Wade Simmons is such a boss about it!
  • 12 0
 Those guys are gladiators!! Much respect to all of them..
  • 11 0
 Bender's crash was totally nuts. Cam McCaul's crash from 2003 was wilder than the 2008 crash. Both were big though.
  • 1 0
 yea when i saw cam mccaul listed as the top 5 i was thinking of the one from 2003 as well
  • 9 0
 cam zinks 360 crash !!
  • 7 0
 There's a whole bunch of them here...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtlD6V_Fk_Y
  • 3 1
 That video was way better.
  • 4 1
 My wife heard me laughing my ass off while watching this, she came in to see what was so funny. I showed her the video, she walked out holding her crotch after Garret Buehler's wreck... we've been married 7 years, I guess she's been hiding something from me the whole time.
  • 7 1
 Saw Josh Bender in the description and had to watch
  • 2 0
 how the f*ck does wade just pop up from that???
I ran into him one time an I'm like "dude your a f*ckin super hero!"
and he tries telling me "naw man, I'm just a regular guy just like you"
f*ck that! I clipped a tree on leisure ride and broke my leg dislocated shoulder and concussed; not free fall 20 feet an spring up like heyyy - but I wasn't jacked up on redbull either....hmmmmm.....


as for the iPhone video jew on pb....try pb on mobile, when I'm in desktop 90% of vids don't work click mobile and bam the battery drain begins
  • 5 0
 I just love the way Buehler plants the bars with his chest and then still refuses to let the bars go... Epic!
  • 2 0
 He rides like a viking warrior
  • 4 0
 Clip gloves too tight
  • 1 0
 the one year I made it to rampage, I saw three of those!! Simmons, Bender, and Canfield went down in the same year....Bender broke his chain before hitting the sender when he crashed off the 40 footer ( same one Canfield goes down on)...But I believe no one hit the sender until Bender tried first... I remember all the spectators were shi**ing themselves waiting for someone to hit it. Canfield was the first to land it, But I think Zinc hit it and nearly rode out. Then Rominuck ( spelled wrong, I know) hit it and pulled a 1 foot can, followed by Strait's no hander...It was an awesome year for rampage ( and people still loved Bender back then)
  • 1 0
 Did I miss Robbie Burdon's crash in what like 05(???) where he nearly went off the cliff AFTER he crashed, untill someone grabbed him??? Or am I thinking of another rider??? THAT was major pucker factor for me watching cause it was like "wow, he survived the crash... OH SHIT, HE'S GONNA FALL OFF THE CLIFF NOW...NOOOOOOOOO.... phew saved at the last mintue!!!!! "

OT, but RB was like the KING of gnarly bouncing landings that he RODE OUT... Wish he was still in more stuff.... His NWD sections used to always get me so psyched to see how big that guy could go nd still stay on his bike...which REALLY needed more rear-shock rebound dampning Wink
  • 5 1
 simply THE BEST series in this sport
  • 4 0
 Bender looks so unstable on a bicycle
  • 6 0
 It's crazy that he was the biggest of the big huckers but had the worst form and technique.
  • 1 0
 can anybody help me get the redbull media player working on my comp??? all i get is a tiny sq with a dot in middle, is there like a flash player update for it or a redbull update?
  • 4 0
 Lance Canfield lands on his head, shitttt!!!!!!
  • 4 0
 Hands down craziest mtb comp out there.
  • 4 1
 im always so worried that im gunna break my dh bike... i really shouldnt be
  • 1 0
 im more concerned about breaking myself, but then again the first thing i do after a crash is ask if my bike is okay
  • 4 0
 ohhhh shit
  • 1 0
 bender must be made out of rubber to survive all the crashes he has been in. i cant believe he didnt break both of his legs from that crash!
  • 1 0
 Anyone else have a problem with no sound with the redbull tv app?? I have deleted and re-installed a ton of times with no fix
  • 1 0
 Give Treksession99 a break.. he's obviously new around here..

Actually.. f*ck that. get stuck in guys, let him learn his lesson the hard way! Wink
  • 3 0
 how is bender not dead? all of those crashes were insane!
  • 1 0
 There were rumours before that he was, dropping off the Great Wall of China or something random... Long time ago. Where did he go, anyway?
  • 1 0
 guys probs feeling his years... he isnt exactly young anymore
  • 1 0
 there was an article on Bender recently.. seems he now rides a 29'er Ellesworth and takes it 'easy'...gotta love his guts
  • 3 0
 suprised nobody said "I could do that on a bmx!" yet
  • 1 1
 I could definitely crash that hard on a BMX. Just dropping a kerb, no doubt... Razz
  • 1 0
 Funny thing about that Bender crash. After him both Zink and Straight hit it fine. Straight also threw a suicide nohander, for the win that year.
  • 1 0
 not so much funny, just higher skill sets.
  • 1 0
 he's called STRAIT lol
  • 1 0
 such a pain to see these kinds of videos but it truly brings inspiration and its what probably pushed our sport forward to what it is today. props!
  • 1 0
 Those aerial shots of Cam were brilliant, just to see what the course is really like. Just a shame to see all these guys fall.
  • 2 0
 I guess that benders crash thats one of the worst that i can imagine!
  • 1 0
 Yo Josh. . . WTF are you doing! . . no dont get off your bike. . . oh god i hope he's ok. . . shit.
  • 1 0
 These are so brutal I don't even like to watch them and I usually laugh during crash vids
  • 1 0
 surprised Ben Reids crash wasn't in there that was the worst imo, falling into that gully headfirst
  • 1 0
 Was that in '03 as well? That was bad!
  • 2 0
 I cringed so many times, so much pain, crashing sucks!
  • 2 0
 I love how Garrett holds handlebars until the end...
  • 2 0
 i think Bender should win this competition
  • 1 0
 wasn't that the crash when bender broke his back, and kinda had to stop hucking after that?
  • 3 0
 gotta love freeride
  • 1 0
 those crashes were so gnarly!!! and poor Garrett Buehler seemed to have forgot to let go of the bars
  • 6 0
 Clip gloves
  • 2 2
 What are clip gloves? Never heard of them before.
  • 5 4
 Bender's crash was stupid. He never seemed to know when to call it quits and let go.
  • 2 1
 truth
  • 2 0
 I'm amazed there aren't major injuries - this stuff is insane!
  • 3 1
 Cams entire run seemed like a crash.
  • 2 0
 Lance is still crushing it to this day!
  • 1 0
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm0W-F-Cvow start this song at the same time.
  • 1 0
 That Cam McCaul crash seemed pretty tame compared to all the other zingers!
  • 1 1
 Red bull's saying "red bull gives you wings" can't be true because a lot of them didn't clear the jump
  • 2 0
 Wont play on ipad Frown
  • 1 0
 Bender is sooooo BAAAD Big Grin DDDD but BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG balls ^^
  • 1 0
 anybody else unable to watch this video?
  • 1 0
 wonder how bender survived
  • 1 0
 best of show goes to....Bender
  • 1 0
 McCaul's brakes are BEAST!!!
  • 1 0
 Bender's crash looked horrific
  • 1 0
 Now I want a mountain biker bf....
  • 1 0
 Ouch! Anybody know about the track playing in that vid?
  • 1 0
 2011 lacondeguy crash is missing
  • 1 0
 old rampage was so insane
  • 1 0
 Josh Bender.... worst paid rider ever.
  • 1 1
 bender is still the best. Best crash of RBR yet.
  • 1 0
 Crazy!
  • 1 0
 anyone know the song?
  • 1 0
 words cannot explain!
  • 1 0
 rad...
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