Throwback Thursday: Red Bull Rampage 2017

Riders and their dig teams are beavering away in Virgin, Utah for the biggest freeride event of the year, Red Bull Rampage, which takes place this year in the same zone as the 2016 and 2017 events. Those two years were an attempt to return Rampage to its big mountain roots and the zone was close to the site which hosted the original Rampage back in the early 2000s.

The new site was untouched, offering riders a blank canvas to create their own unique freeride lines, and boasting a multitude of natural terrain options. From the early previews of the venue we've seen, this year's event follows the same philosophy with very few wooden features and only the remnants of the lines from last time here.

Let's take a look back at the most recent Rampage in this zone so we know what to expect when the riders drop next Friday.

Kurt Sorge's Winning Run

Tricks in the natural top section of the course seemed to be scored highly at Rampage in 2017 and Kurt Sorge made sure he was ticking all the right boxes with a backflip no-hander straight into a huge backflip drop. History was made when Sorge became the first athlete to have won the event three times (2012, 2015, and 2017).

It hasn’t really sunk in, but it feels amazing. It was a lot of hard work the last couple of weeks and I can’t thank the people who have helped me out to get to this point enough. I knew that we had a good contending run, and the whole run went really well. I knew I just had to keep throwing down on every feature I had. When I got down to the bottom I had a good feeling. I was really stoked.—Kurt Sorge

Cam Zink's Second Place Run

While most riders either picked lines from the 'Left Ridge' and 'Right Ridge' of the venue, Cam Zink decided to go straight into the belly of the beast on a line that was named 'The Scar'. The line was claimed to be the steepest extended chute in Rampage history and was scary to even peer over the precipice of, nevermind ride. Zink stomped the line on his first run to secure second place but crashed on a frontflip on his second in a run that could have bumped his score up enough to take the win. Pierre Edouard Ferry also used this line and won the Kelly McGarry Spirit Award.

Ethan Nell's Third Place Run

Ethan Nell secured third place at just 20 years old with this run. The relative newcomer came up a little short on his first run but secured a podium spot on his second run of the day by tricking out some of his more exposed line up top.

Antoine Bizet's People's Choice Run

The people's champion in 2017 was Antoine Bizet, who landed the first-ever double flip at Rampage and also had a front flip in his run but it only landed him 12th with the judges

Full Replay

Timestamps from Storm Crimson:

FIRST RUNS:
1. No. 01. Brett Rheeder: 13:56
2. No. 02. Vincent Tupin: 18:19
3. No. 03. Ethan Nell: 24:36
4. No. 05. Cameron Zink: 32:13
5. No. 07. Logan Binggeli: 38:32
6. No. 08. Darren Berrecloth: 44:10
7. No. 09. Ryan Howard: 49:14
8. No. 10. Bas Van Steenbergen: 55:13
9. No. 12. Tom Van Steenbergen: 1:01:03
10. No. 13. Pierre Edouard Ferry: 1:07:45
11. No. 14. Andreu Lacondeguy: 1:16:23
12. No. 15. Tyler McCaul: 1:24:57
13. No. 16. Thomas Genon: 1:30:21
14. No. 17. Kyle Strait: 1:36:58
15. No. 18. Kurt Sorge: 1:44:22
16. No. 19. Carson Storch: 1:54:13
17. No. 20. Antoine Bizet: 2:01:58
18. No. 21. Brandon Semenuk: 2:08:59

SECOND RUNS:
1. No. 01. Brett Rheeder: 2:39:16
2. No. 21. Brandon Semenuk: 2:48:02
3. No. 09. Ryan Howard: 2:55:28
4. No. 02. Vincent Tupin: 2:59:59
5. No. 13. Pierre Edouard Ferry: 3:04:09
6. No. 03. Ethan Nell: 3:10:30
7. No. 08. Darren Berrecloth: 3:18:11
8. No. 20. Antoine Bizet: 3:29:44
9. No. 14. Andreu Lacondeguy: 3:33:53
11. No. 12. Tom Van Steenbergen: 3:40:03 (includes Caveman drop in)
12. No. 15. Tyler McCaul: 3:47:32
13. No. 17. Kyle Strait: 4:00:09 (Chose not to do run)
14. No. 19. Carson Storch: 4:03:08
15. No. 16. Thomas Genon: 4:07:37
16. No. 05. Cameron Zink: 4:13:30
17. No. 18. Kurt Sorge: 4:17:28

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Videos Throwback Thursday Red Bull Rampage

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jamessmurthwaite
Member since Nov 14, 2018
1,770 articles

12 Comments

58 3

sevenup FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 6:02)

Bizet got robbed hard on this one

26 1

Jordmackay (Oct 14, 2021 at 6:17)

Mad he didn't get win but 12th place is ridiculous. Judging needs sorted

15 1

stupendousman (Oct 14, 2021 at 6:24)

Was going to post the same thing - that was a robbery for sure...

rockyflowtbay (Oct 14, 2021 at 7:24)

@Jordmackay: I do think he was low, but judging this thing is a monster. Not an easy task.

skimtb1 FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 7:30)

I believe his line score was pretty basic and 27 flips will only b get you so far...

scott-townes (Oct 14, 2021 at 7:35)

Thank goodness Rampage isn't judged based on a single trick otherwise everyone would ride the most basic ridgelines and do one big trick on the bottom like Bizet. I think we need a cage match with the people who say Bizet was robbed vs. the people who say Rampage is too slopestyle.

dungeonbeast (Oct 14, 2021 at 8:50)

@scott-townes: bizarrely, I believe many of them are the same people. Go figure.

HenkkaK FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 12:41)

Bizet's run is one of my all time favorites.

jibbandpedal FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 7:01)

Kurts GoPro really shows how gnarly his big flip drop is. Lands the flip tuck then takes a breath, turns left and flips into the abyss...gives me shivers.

GotchaJimmy (Oct 14, 2021 at 7:52)

Sorge's 2017 POV is super interesting - the fact that the GoPro picks up the announcer's voice from the top means Sorge could totally hear him say "little bit of wind up there" as he approached his most high consequence features. The mental fortitude to hear that and put down a belter of a run with huge airtime is insane.

jimoxbox FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 7:02)

Sorge deserved the win though . Feck me more exposed than the playboy Pamela Anderson special swimsuit edition

waldo-jpg FL (Oct 14, 2021 at 8:39)

crazy how bad GoPro Footage in 2017 was compared to today