Every year since the Oakley Icon Sender’s 2010 inception into the controlled-chaos that is Red Bull Rampage, it has been one of the largest, most mesmerizing features created by the build crew. Consistently, the Icon Sender has challenged riders, forcing them to year-by-year determine new lines down the mountain while navigating monster drops and pushing their personal performance boundaries, which, in turn, increases the overall wow-factor of the event.2013 Oakley Icon Icon Sender render by Scott DicksonTaking into consideration the limited space on the cliff-side and a crowd-sourced design inspiration via the
Render The Sender contest, the team of designers at Oakley collaborated with riders and builders to come up with a feature they collectively agreed would produce the most thrilling spectacle possible. Countless designs were sketched and considered, altered and canned, before the team came to a consensus on what will be on display on the day of reckoning – a design that pushes the ever-evolving envelope that has come to be expected of the Oakley Icon Sender.
The 2013 Icon Sender is a mix of bold and technical options, which will offer riders who choose to incorporate it into their lines a way to showcase their strong points in a critical part of the course. This years’ Icon Sender includes five takeoffs (three of which are new) with three landings (one new). Without going into detail, understand that there are just varying degrees of heart-stopping possibilities on offer, allowing each rider to choose which best suits his abilities and intestinal fortitude.
As a crucial navigational point on the course, the Icon Sender presents the H5 build crew, led by Jeremy Witek, with its greatest construction challenge – one which required equal parts strategy and execution. With additional necessary construction compared with prior years, the build crew had its work cut out for itself. Uprights had to be embedded in the cliff side, a new landing required an exacting assessment of trajectory and slope, and of course there’s the always-daunting challenge of maneuvering a massive piece of machinery up a considerable slope on soft soil.
Rock-retaining walls were hand-stacked and countless wheelbarrow loads of dirt dumped from the top of the feature in order to fill in the slope. Then it all had to be levelled in order to complete the landing - nothing was easy in the entire process. And yet every year, it happens without complaint. The key is to continue to build the legendary freeride structure in Utah, something that the riders, spectators will enjoy and remember for years to come.
While all of the exciting new launch options are massive and trying, the builders have taken extreme care to make sure the nuts and bolts of the construction of the course are precise. Builders stood at different segments of the features, constantly consulting one another to make sure takeoffs and landings match, and that expected trajectories will carry riders to where they need to be. The amount of collective thought, consideration, and collaboration from riders, designers and builders that has been put into this year’s Icon Sender has created a truly unique focal point of the course that should result in some all-time shredding.
oakleyredbull.com/bikeScott Dickson
It's like in Formula 1; everyone complains about too many city races but nobody can imagine it without Monaco.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw1d0RfOt-4
Yeah, that's what I thought but thanks for the laughs. The part about it becoming another slope contest really made my gut burst, haha.
Now I know that someone spinning off the top drop may not happen but what's with the posts on the sides? Wouldn't there be a chance of someone catching a rear tire? I do love the simplicity of the build, though.
And Scott - I think if someone were to catch a rear tire on one of those posts doing a spin off that big drop they'd be royally screwed regardless. If their back wheel is anywhere near those posts they have no chance of making the landing. They'd have to take it much farther out.
time for a "claudio" style rampage line preview edit!
Everyone should stfu and wait till you see guys flying off this thing before opening your mouth. This is a big mountain/freeride contest not slopestyle btw.....
Rampage is still all about the judging. If judges score well for natural lines and make them a viable option we'll have an amazing comp, end of story. And no matter what it's going to be a spectacular show.
Think about the safety of riders... You can't build massive features without some serious work... What riders are gonna put themself at a much higher risk by something that is unnecessarily sketchy.
There will be plenty of natural rider built lines, stop complaining about making a few massive, calculated features. You want progression and huge stuff but complain when they do what they can to make things safer? Do you have any idea how huge this stuff is?.........
You kids are such bullshit artists. I have to say, my favorite is bike-person up there saying how he misses the "classic" Rampage... hahaha, good lord.
The step down Straight sent was called the Bender Sender and just to let you know, the Oakley Sender for this year is higher with the same distance out. Also the Bender Sender's takeoff and landing were very much smooth. It was gnarly because of the insane speed to had to take into it in order to hit it and ride outta it... which seems to be the case for this year's edition of the Oakley Sender.
The judges always favor those who take the more original lines, nothing has changed in that aspect. I think you people really need to let go of the original bare-bones idea of Rampage and just be happy that it's back and way gnarlier than what it used to be (the natural stuff up high is VERY gnarly).
Go google some images of it real quick and compare it to last year's Oakley Sender... notice how small the riders are? Now imagine them taking off from that point of rock to looker's left and landing on the point of the ridge below... yeah, that's way bigger than what anyone could produce "naturally" out there.
You guys can believe what you want but that's not the case. As fullbug said- it'll be enjoyment and the most insane riding regardless.
c'mon. According to the spray we regularly wade through on this website, every keyboard badass on Pinkbike could double backflip that drop while drinking a beer. In their sleep. On a hardtail. In 50 MPH winds.
Also, everyone poops their pants over chatel mountain style. Oh it's the only other big mountain contest of the year? (usually). Well that's way more wood than rampage, so if that's big mountain, how come less wood at rampage makes it slopestyle? holy shit people just be happy. You aren't riding this course, and the riders collaborated on this, let them decide. I think stuff like this pushes the sport beyond what 100% raw terrain would.
Stoked to see people send it. Good work oakley. Thanks for trying to push the sports limits.
Moreover, cam McCaul totally blew me away with the canyon gap. I'm expecting big things this year.
I'd like to second the motion to thank Oakley. They didn't have to spend an ass load of money rebuilding thae sender. If a bunch Of guys came to your trails to build bigger stuff, and asked you what you wanted, the came back a year later or two, and made it better, would it be reasonable for one to be so rude?
Building this junk is hard, and most of us have jobs or school. Maybe we should be glad people invest in outsport, rather than letting it go stale.
What is the record for biggest vertical drop for mountain bikes? Bender at 60 or 70 feet?
Scoring should reflect both the riders ball's and his creativity in building raw stuff.
Just noting that Romo's line was the gap to wall ride out that many others have used since....gotta love his crazy self for thinking it up.
www.redbullusa.com/cs/userfiles/file/3_Rampage_Sequence_SteveRomaniuk.jpg
I've been to Rampage to support crews a few times and it is impressive and humbling. Props to ALL the rippers who send it there.
There are plenty of lines that people have built themselves, to the point where there are not many options left. I think people are overreacting horribly to the pre-built features that take up 5% of the course. The simple facts are; they're within a limited area, this is the 4th year in that area so most conceivable lines have been built, not every rider can spend the previous week, 2 weeks building their lines and the comp. format has been changed so they don't have as much time to build like the original Rampage years. There's only so much the riders can do on their own.
Simply put, the only original, rider-built lines you will see are those that were built last year but the riders were hurt or not able to rip. The event is nothing like it used to be with the larger audience and it being TELEVISED so really I think people should just be happy that it's back... then again (not you necessarily) they probably don't remember how much it sucked to have it end.
It's such a small thing to complain about that I think makes the comp. way more exciting. Think of it, if the Rampage was as it was, Zink's 360 and the canyon gap never would have happened. Also every rider chooses their line based off their riding styles and not off what their sponsors tell them
Natural? go ride your bike through some woods not on a trail and see how natural really feels.... Thanks Oakley! and RedBull!!
The more money that comes into the sport means more innovation, technology, lower production costs, and paychecks for the Pros. When I was growing up, jumping a bicycle was not a career choice. Now it is. That's really cool. I hope it continues.
I'm fine with the wood features so long as they don't become mandatory to win.
I think this explains everything...
It's an unstoppable machine; the people (riders, sponsors, fans, everyone) just want more more MOAR without realizing the consequences for failure have reached well into the death zone.
Good luck riders! Ride safe and come home healthy!
" wow... Wouldn't that break your bike? Or your a*shole?!"
Lol, pretty much, yes
Dah, I love riding that stuff at all my fav resorts.
This is the ultimate representation of wc dh mixed w/ freeride tour, and all coordinated for tv!
Thanks to redbull and oakley..athletes, et. Al.!
How many sites are there like this in the world? Are there even any others? I've never, EVER sided with the tree hugging greenies before but this raping the landscape takes it to another level IMHO.
Incredibly the BLM and the city have given an inch and the MTB community is taking a mile...I fear to our future detriment.
The meaningful question is; what are we gonna do when benders gone? Someone's gonna have to keep this alive, and at the moment, this event is basically all his fault.
Go figure.
Stop Bitching some of y'all! Theres still plenty of room for natural line choice, i think these features only enhance the experience.
Rock on!!
Little higher bottom brackets, not so steep of head angles, stronger and heavier, etc.
I really hope so.
It's more than twice as high as last year's Oakley Drop...
22 Meters... i think they overacted this time.
Does look a bit Cheap too. Maybe they will dress it up for the Day?
2015 DH World Championship - Vallnord (Andorra)
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