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Riders face unexpected weather challenges as Red Bull Rampage takes shape
Riders and dig teams are shaping dream lines in Utah for Red Bull Rampage 2025. Unpredictable storms are testing them like never before – here’s how to watch the action live.
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Fresh takeoffs, landings, and tyre tracks are appearing on two historic Red Bull Rampage venues - all signs of the 2025 competition coming to life. On October 10, the athletes arrived for scout day, scoping and planning their lines. Over the last few days, the 30 riders have sculpted and tested features, hinting at what’s to come on competition day.
One challenging variable this year has been the weather. Instead of dry, ruthless heat, there have been pulses of thunderstorms and wind. On one hand, the extra moisture has been helpful with the digging - it’s expedited the process of packing in landings, and lines have sprung up across the mountain quicker than in years past. However, it’s also made practice unpredictable. Claps of thunder and bursts of rain have disrupted precious practice time, sending athletes back to the base, waiting to get back on site.
But Red Bull Rampage was never meant to be a straightforward endeavour and the athletes continue to rise to the occasion. Here’s the latest dispatch from the mountain - and a sneak peek at what’s to come for the Men’s and Women’s finals.
Jaxson Riddle hasn't let the rain hold him back
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Hannah Bergemann is looking to incoporate Nico Vink's 2015 entrance chute
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
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First look at women's lines
The 2025 venue is a homecoming for many of the female riders. This site was formerly the Red Bull Formation venue for 2019 and 2022, playing a pivotal role in the progression of women’s freeride. Now, many of those same riders are back to compete - joined by a new crop of talent. Given that it’s one of the most spacious Rampage venues, there’s a lot of potential for the builds.
One feature in play is Nico Vink’s entrance chute from the 2015 Red Bull Rampage. Dangling from a harness, Hannah Bergemann peered over the cliff edge to scope it. At first, it seemed unrideable - a sheer cliff plunging to the next mesa shelf. At the 2015 event, Vink crashed when he attempted it, largely because it was unfinished. Ten years later, Bergemann, Casey Brown and Robin Goomes have their sights set on it. By combining their dig teams, they’re hopeful about finishing the build. It’s a massive undertaking, requiring daily work, but the grit is worth it for a standout feature. The riders will creep into it, and as it transitions to an 80-degree pitch, they’ll fly downward into a catch berm. Once in the landing, they’ll need to recompose for a newly built canyon gap.
Bergemann dials in her line
© Paris Gore/Red Bull Content Pool
Another iconic chute being resurrected is Kyle Strait’s drop-in from the 2014 Red Bull Rampage. Cami Nogueira has integrated it into the start of her line - unsurprising, given that she’s a specialist at riding steep features requiring precision brake control. The feature is highly technical, as she’ll need to turn as she enters it and then set up for a vertical drop. During practice, Nogueira ticked off part of it, riding with confidence. “It felt good. I was really nervous, so it feels good that it works. My team is crushing it,” Nogueira reflects.
Rising right of the start gate is the legendary rock formation resembling a battleship. For years, Rampage competitors have traversed around it, thinking it was unrideable - one wrong move, and you’re dealing with 12m drop-offs in either direction. In 2023, Szymon Godziek and Brendan Fairclough jumped onto it, defying expectations. This year, Chelsea Kimball has her sights set on it as the only rider aiming to hit the legendary battleship. “Long before it was built, I’d look up at the ridge and wonder if it was possible,” Kimball explains. After the 2023 event, she was intrigued by the feature, hoping one day to ride it. “I wanted to do it back in 2023 - now I get to do it at Rampage.” She’ll exit the cliff with a lily pad, leading into El Presidente drop - formerly Tyler McCaul’s 2015 drop and the biggest at the venue, which she’s already stomped in practice.
Watch the Red Bull Rampage women's finals live on Red Bull TV:
Red Bull Rampage: Women's livestream
12 female MTB athletes compete in this invitation-only freeride event, showcasing their skill and creativity.
Get the details on Red Bull Rampage 2025
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Red Bull Rampage men’s lines
Rising from the desert like a natural amphitheatre, the men’s venue is home to some of the most iconic terrain in Red Bull Rampage history. The descents are steep, keeping the riders’ lines engaging and dynamic, making it a memorable course for riders and fans alike.
Riddle gets stuck in
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Thomas Genon hammers out a feature
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
One feature synonymous with the venue is Cam Zink’s chute, which plunges through the heart of the mountain. From a distance, it looks like a dark scar etched into the rock - still considered the steepest and gnarliest chute at Red Bull Rampage. Zink is revisiting the feature, which has stayed mostly rideable. That means he can focus on other parts of his run - like the massive drop he flat-drop backflipped in 2021. With the chute demanding less energy, Zink can shift his focus to amplitude and style.
The famous Goblin Drop is also making a comeback. It juts out of the ridge like a camel’s hump, and it’s a massive step down, originally hit in 2016. Tomas Lemoine - one of the rookies - is reinterpreting the feature, which is creating chatter throughout the venue. He’s carved a path to the right and it’s shaping up to be one of the gnarliest drops on the course. Sometimes the rookies at Red Bull Rampage are dealt a tough hand, having to piece together a line amidst all the pre-existing features. But as Lemoine reminds us, a fresh perspective can lead to creativity. “I wanted to build my own way down and not just use jumps that were previously there,” the Frenchman explains. “I thought it would be a little bit smaller, but here we are,” he says with a laugh.
Adolf Silva has got some significant airtime
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Another rider who’s been making progress down the mountain is newcomer Finley Kirschenmann. Kirschenmann is using a mix of new features he’s built - like a gnarly chute - in conjunction with Brandon Semenuk’s old line. “Brandon’s line spoke to me because it matches my style of riding,” explains the 18-year-old, who’s also made a name for himself with his effortless style. He was one of the riders able to get tyres on course, chipping away at his line. “With the weather we’ve had, it’s good to get on course,” he explains. “I was able to ride my chute at the top. I started halfway down it before the drop into it… and it worked amazing.”
Even though practice has just begun for the men, there’s been no shortage of airtime. Adolf Silva dropped into his canyon gap, stomping it cleanly. Emil Johansson had a productive morning session, cleanly linking a tailwhip and flatspin 450.
With several practice days still ahead, riders have only just scratched the surface. Expect them to keep raising the bar as finals approach on October 17 and 19 [please note new dates due to adverse weather forecast].
Watch the Red Bull Rampage men's final live:
Red Bull Rampage: Men's livestream
Watch the 18 male mountain bike athletes showcase skill and creativity in this invitation-only freeride event.
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How can I watch Red Bull Rampage 2025?
Due to weather conditions, the Red Bull Rampage schedule has been updated as follows:
- Women’s broadcast: Friday, October 17 at 10.30am MT (4.30pm UTC / 6.30pm CEST) live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.
- Men’s broadcast: Sunday, October 19 at 10.30am MT (4.30pm UTC / 6.30pm CEST) live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.
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