ZAPa90

For people who are hating Claw there and saying Brandon got robbed - here is a vid where you can see Claw standing right there nex to a takeoff when Brandon hit his canyon for the very first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUAsQ2tPt8Y&t=17s In time 2:35 he is standing right there next to Brandon on runin. And then in time 4:25 he is standing down next to a takeoff, fistpumping and encouraging the man! And later you can see him running around to congratulate him! It is great that judges of this event are legends like Bearclaw and not a clueless people infront of tv who have never even be in this venue! Judges know exactly what riders are going through.They are doing a very hard job and they are doing it great.

@snomaster: Maybe look at it from the other side - the riders who scored lower than Brandon. Thomas Genon, Emil Johanson, Bienve - their runs were amazing, but it seems that they got really punished for riding too slopestylish and too made up lines. And then there is Kyle Strait run - he doesn't have any technical creeping on brakes section, because he is flying through the air over them :D I actually loved his line, just no bullshit, steepest most straight line down the hill and flying top speed one mega hit after another, amazing run! All these riders ended below Brandon - so judges clearly revarded Brandon for his line. What separated these 3 top runs was that their lines were exciting (not as much as Brandon, but still), they all made some variation of huge tricks, they all went super fast without hesitation, and they all did huge trick on something mega. Zink's backflip - crazy, TVS caveman and mega backflip - crazy, Carson mega 360 - also crazy.

@NikolaiB: I actually like your point there. Would love to see Rampage where riders are really riding new more natural lines. I was writing myself that it’s kind of ridiculous that riders are keeping their old lines, this might be the most unfair aspect of the competition. But than on the other hand I don’t believe that judges should change the whole score based on how much of the line is new and how much was made before. Like people who are saying that Bienve should won would be even more pissed becouse his line was ridden like 100 times, so his score should be even lower based on your opinion. I got your point and it would be great if they changed venue every other year, so riders would really ride new lines. It would be more fair also.

Very different start, but actually comperable difficulty. Brandon going on battleship, styling it up with manual and stoppies. Carson going super fast this open left turn and shooting down the steepest section on the mountain. Both stylish, both technical, both similar points. Mid run: Brandon canyon supper gnarly, similar Carson doing his first flip - that jump is very technical witch dangerous landing, fliping that thing is crazy. Again similar points. Brandon than doing pretty big backflip and than backflip at the bottom. Carson doing similar size 360 but with more dificult landing, than doing mega 360 which is very dificult to get the rotation corect and than adds another big bacflip on bottom step down. So it was pretty close in my opinion, with Carsons mega 360 making the biggest difference.

@sampo18: Well yeah, if it is more risky, you get extra points for it. It is not retarded, it is what this whole sport is about! Because maybe, just maybe - riders who are willing to do more risky stuff are simply better riders - they are more confident in their skill and experience, they got their tricks so spot on so they can do them even on a sketchy or bigger feature. How else do you want to separate the best from the rest? That's what every freeride event is and always was about. If you do a flip on a big jump - yeah it's cool - if you do it on a jump which is on the side of a cliff and landing is steep and loose, than you probably are better rider because you really believe to you skills.

@salvafc: Well then maybe watch again TVS run and Storch? These guys were risking their life again and again from the beginning of their run! If TVS did a mistake with that caveman he is dead! Like really dead! Just a tiny mistake like sliping peddal and there is nothing stoping you from rolling down and breaking your neck! Then they both are doing mega 360s and backflips where consequences are hospital at least. I loved Brendan's line, it was the coolest line up there, but you cannot take it from those guys - they were willing to do unthinkable. Brendon to win would really need to flip that canyon and ad some 360 at the bottom or something like that. Otherwise it would be really unfair to these guys. And Bienve's sequence on canyon gap was amazing - got the best trick award for it - but there was nothing else to his run. He didn't show any skill riding steep technical terrain - I'm not saying he doesn't have that skill, but he didn't show it - and he was riding really slowly on the top, where his line wasn't even so technical. If he wantet to win, he should add some tricks on the top jumps and ride it faster.

@sampo18: Maybe go back and hear him again - he said that they scored battleship high! He is just talking about why it was difficult to score it, but they made the decision to give a high score for that feture. What u are kind of overlooking maybe is, that top section of Zink's line was also super exposed - that cliff that he is riding is just as crazy as battleship and Cam is sliding there with his back tire locked, than droping on another battleship and than doing super huge drop on a wery narrov ridge line. The camera angle there really didn't do it justice how crazy exposed his line was.

@Phillyenduro: Well you can look at it like they are pushing riders to more risk. Or! That riders who are willing to do more risky stuff are simply better riders - they are more confident in their skill and experience, they got their tricks so spot on so they can do them even on a sketchy feature. How else do you want to separate the best from the rest? That's what every freeride event is and always was about. Do more risky stuff! Only that the Rampage is on just another level.

Well, to answear your question - basically yes, you have to risk your life to win the Rampage. Zink risked his life right from the start of his line - this cliff he is riding on the top is just as crazy as battleship, and he is sliding down there with his back tire locked and than dropping on another battleship and then doing huge drop on a wery narrow ridge line, then risking his life doing the biggest flatspin back flip ever and than risking again doing huge 360. TVS also risking life rigth from the start - if you dont catch your pedals doing that caveman, you are dead! And than again doing 360 on a cliff side and mega backflip! Storch almost went to the hospital on his first flip - you can see him going a bit sideways and the consequences would be really bad - right after this heart attach he keeps on going doing 360 on the cliff and then mega 360 gain. It's like - yeah i loved the Brendog's line a lot, it was the coolest line out there - but you cannot take that form those guys. Their line was also super cool and they were actually willing to do the unthinkable!

Thinking about it: the competition aspect is fun! So probably keep it competition, but make the line choice more fair!