Photo Epic: Last Practice - Red Bull Rampage 2022
Eight long, scorching days of hard labour in the desert and the final Rampage showdown is almost upon us. The time for testing and adapting these massive features is at an end and now the riders must stitch their insanely hectic lines together, top to bottom and look good doing it. The unfortunate tradition continues another year as for 2022 we’ll see lines completed at the very last minute as diggers will go down to the wire with their picks and shovels at sunrise before finals.
Much has changed since 2013 when the event last visited this site and the hillside is absolutely littered with more impressive and trickable features than ever before, allowing each rider to really hone-in their unique styles and deliver the biggest runs of their lives. The last practice day started strong with many riders sessioning some of their biggest hits. Notable was Dylan Stark who was able to hit the 70+ foot canyon gap and spice in a tuck-no-hander despite injuring his ankle earlier in the week. He quickly used that adrenaline to link together more and more of his line and we’re excited to see what this Rampage rookie can throw down on his first outing.
Kyle Strait and Cam Zink were looking good and strong first thing on their savage route down the mountain. Around mid-day it was time to link up a few features, including a huge drop, mid-course, followed by a long and low exposed jump and finally the infamous Oakley Icon Sender. Kyle was first to guinea pig the drop and unfortunately did not make the landing several metres below. With the course hold for heli-rescue and everyone’s thoughts with Kyle, the day’s focus shifted back to digging and completing the final bits and pieces.
Not far into the afternoon, we finally got to witness Brandon Semenuk’s outlandish creativity spring to life off the start platform. Calm and composed, walking straight up to the top after a test ride into his chute, he jumped right in with his signature acid drop move. Zero hesitation. Classic Semenuk and quite possibly the warning shot for win number 5.
In the final moments of sunlight, the hillside started to buzz again as riders headed up in an attempt to check off as many un-hit features as possible, including the triple take-off pack with shared landing space for Boggs, Sorge, Volokov, Nell and Tommy G, all on riders' left. With about 15 minutes left of visibility, all riders were able to band together and help each other with the speed checks, confidence and probably stoke to stomp their landings in the Utah dust.
By close of play, only Szymon Godziek and William Robert were able to complete at least one full run from the top, both showing complete composure on their huge freeride lines and showing off their significant bags of tricks. Much was accomplished on the mountain these past days, but naturally, the best is yet to come as 17 riders line up for their chance at victory for what is sure to be a legendary Red Bull Rampage, 2022.
Dusty scenes from the middle plateau of the Oakley sender.
Early birds getting the worm. Semenuk and his build crew working in the shadows.
Brandon Semenuk bridging the canyon step down.
Andreu Lacondeguy; always magnetic to watch at Redbull Rampage.
No bad days out here in the Virgin desert.
Brett Rheeder has been throwing down harder than anyone in training. Flips, 360s, tailwhips, then back up for more.
Hustling harder than all the rest. Let's see what this former Rampage champ can bring to the table in the battle of the single-crowns against Semenuk and Stark.
Rheeder off-axis flipping from afar.
Cam Zink finally got to linking together a couple lines midway down his line.
Andreu Lacondeguy cruising over the steep hip.
Another hike up for William Robert. He's already got a few top to bottom laps under his belt heading into finals.
William Robert stepping it way down before going up again.
Van Steenbergen watches on as Semenuk charges down after his caveman drop.
Andreu Lacondeguy and the desert landscape.
Building and shaping went on until the 11th hour with finals day just around the corner.
Tommy G flying high on his ridgeline hits.
A massive step down unlocked and Alex Volokov is fired up with that.
William Robert over his blind hip step down.
Semenuk, Riddle, and Brandt head up to test yesterday's work.
Tommy G eyeing up his hip step down. His run has a number of bigger features in it.
An ant-size Godziek high above the canyon gap.
Jaxson Riddle on the solemn march to the start gate for a first top-to-bottom.
Young style master, Riddle, in action.
Awesome to have TVS back and competing at Rampage after his accident in the big show just a year ago.
Into the shadows with Tom van Steenbergen.
Kyle Strait unfortunately suffered a horrific crash slightly tagging the case-pad of the step-down shared with Zink before the Oakley sender.
This was the massive drop is where Kyle would fall down, breaking multiple vertebrae. Get well soon, Kyle.
A stark reminder of the very real risks at Rampage.
The long road to the top of this mighty mountain.
Table 360 for DJ Brandt.
Rheeder tricking just about everything on his way down.
First try to bolts for Cam Zink off the first massive feature in his line.
Dylan Stark getting stuck into finishing his upper chute into a large hip on the top ridge.
Reed Boggs was the last man to test his colossal diving board next to Nell, Sorge and Volokov.
Boggs looking confident and steezy on the bottom step-up shared with several other riders.
Brandon Semenuk (white jersey top left) spent his whole afternoon crafting this feature. Any ideas what he has in store?
Ethan Nell getting prepped to test his top drop for the first time.
Stark headed up to guinea pig some burly features at the top of his line.
Hitting eject but landing safely to feet on his first attempt.
Nell waits for his dig team to quickly polish off the gargantuan landing of his step-down above the mid-road.
Tyler McCaul dropping into his upper section at peak golden hour.
Alex Volokov is looking especially comfy, already with some flips and cool nacs in the bag through practice.
An outcrop between the landings that some might consider a touch off-putting. Not the cream of the crop at Redbull Rampage apparently.
Nell speed checks with spotting from Kyle Jameson while Volokov dampens down the dust on his kicker.
Ethan Nell takes the plunge first just a couple of minutes before dark and gets it perfect, a big plume of dust following him back to earth.
The Utah desert is special.
Kurt Sorge looking for a bit of extra precision with some stone placement.
Sorge going huge just in time as the sun began to disappear.
Volokov going for a second attempt in the half-light.
A really tough few days refining their ambitious builds finally pay off for Nelson buds, Sorge and Volokov.
Freeride legend and Rampage veteran, Darren Berrecloth, is on the judging panel this year. Will his big mountain bias give the edge to the faster, looser riders?
One more sleep until the big show.
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