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Inside Red Bull Rampage 2026: Dig days and new course features
Bigger, steeper and more ambitious than ever. See how the lines are coming together at Red Bull Rampage.
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For the last two decades, the original Red Bull Rampage venue has offered a snapshot into the past. Since the early competitions in 2001-2004, many features have eroded, leaving only the dusty remnants of the original course. On September 29, 30 competitors arrived in the desert to transform the venue into brand-new lines, bringing us one step closer to the 2026 Red Bull Rampage. Every team starts with the same formula: 100 sandbags, 3 diggers, and seven days to create their vision.
At the first Red Bull Rampage, athletes and organisers looked beyond the starting gate to the mountain towering above. What if they could start from up there? Back then, the idea was unthinkable. Mountain bikes weren't built for such terrain, and the young sport was still discovering its limits. Now, 25 years later, Red Bull Rampage is answering that question. Combining the original 2001-2004 course with a new upper section, this year's venue is the tallest in event history.
Watch the video below to see how the lines are coming together at Red Bull Rampage 2026.
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Dig days: Building the biggest Red Bull Rampage lines yet
Despite being a reused venue, the digging process has felt like working with a fresh canvas. Most of the takeoffs and landings have crumbled away, requiring full rebuilds. “We’re building everything from scratch pretty much… and with today’s building technology, we’re really putting everything on steroids,” veteran Red Bull Rampage rider Reed Boggs shares.
The added height means more room for features. As Boggs explains, “In previous years we’d maybe have six or seven features; this year my line has 11.” The extra room to work with has a trade-off, though, as it demands more time and energy for digging. Water access is also a factor. The athletes still have access to water for digging, but the hose infrastructure across the mountain isn't as extensive as in past years, leading to some raw sections in the athletes’ lines.
The tallest venue in Red Bull Rampage history offers more room to build
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Normally, at this point in the digging, many of the athletes would be on their bikes, but some are still busy on the tools. 2025 Red Bull Rampage champion Hayden Zablotny is prioritising linking his line over piecing together bits of practice:
“It’s day two of practice, and I didn’t even bring my bike today… my goal is just to keep digging until I can pretty much ride the whole way down," said Zablotny. The part of his line he’s most excited about is a right-hip, shark-fin step down in the middle of his run.
Hayden Zablotny focuses on linking his full line together
© Paris Gore/Red Bull Content Pool
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What’s new on the Red Bull Rampage 2026 course?
The course’s upper section is starkly different from past Red Bull Rampage venues. At a glance, it feels like a skatepark for mountain bikes, with takeoffs and landings crossing in every direction. Typically, riders descend straight into the steeps, quickly tackling some of their lines’ most daunting features. This year, they’ll flow into a series of jumps, finding their rhythm before continuing down the mountain. With so many jumps clustered at the top, tricks will feature prominently from the start.
Another key difference is that the men’s and women’s courses sit side by side, with some riders sharing features. Hannah Bergemann shares part of her line with Carson Storch, Talus Turk and Jaxson Riddle, giving them the opportunity to tackle bigger builds together and share their expertise.
Fresh takeoffs dot the course, sending riders towards countless cliff drops. One of the most daunting sits at the bottom: the Minister, a monstrous 74-foot step-down from takeoff to landing. Built by former Red Bull Rampage rider Clemens Kaudela for his 2023 submission video, the feature has never been used in competition. Bergemann has incorporated it as the grand finale to her line.
Hannah Bergemann prepares for the massive Minister drop
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
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Iconic drops return to Red Bull Rampage
One drop coming out of retirement is Tyler Klassen’s Super T drop from the 2002 competition. The burly feature helped Klassen win the event and redefined the limits of freeride mountain biking. Former Red Bull Rampage champion Cam Zink had his sights set on it before even arriving at the venue. Zink first rode the drop in the iconic film Where the Trail Ends, but back then it had a downhill takeoff and raw landing. This time, he plans to build a flat takeoff and beef up the landing, hoping to throw one of his signature 360s.
Freeride draws plenty of influence from big mountain skiing and snowboarding, and some of this year’s features look plucked straight from British Columbia or Alaska. Inspired by this style, Kirsten Van Horne has built what looks like a desert pillow line on the mountainside. “It is like a ski line, and you pop, pop, and bank left, and then bank right,” she said.
Red Bull Rampage wouldn’t be the same without canyon gaps, and Tomas Lemoine is lining up one of the most terrifying on the course, spanning 74 feet across and 63 feet down. The Frenchman originally planned to take a different route down the mountain, but after reconsidering, he spotted the canyon on the other side of his line.
“When we found out we could jump this canyon, it became our mission for three days,” he said. The feature has since become the cornerstone of his line.
Tomas Lemoine takes on a huge canyon gap feature
© Paris Gore/Red Bull Content Pool
Even though practice is just getting started, the riders are not holding back. Reigning Red Bull Rampage champion Robin Goomes stunned onlookers by backflipping one of her step-down drops, looking comfortable with each attempt. If she lands it during the finals, that would be another historic first for the women.
As the digging portion of the event winds down, we move one step closer to the highly anticipated finals day on October 8 and October 10. Only time will tell what will unfold on game day, but the progression from the first competition at this venue to now is undeniable.
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Where and when can I watch Red Bull Rampage 2026?
Don't worry if you can't get to Utah to watch Red Bull Rampage in person – both men's and women's finals are freely available to watch live. For 2026, the Red Bull Rampage schedule is:
- Women’s broadcast: Thursday, October 8 at 10.00am MT (4.00pm UTC / 6.00pm CEST) live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.
Women's livestream: Red Bull Rampage
The world’s best female freeride mountain bikers take on rugged terrain and massive challenging lines in Utah.
The Red Bull Rampage men's schedule has been updated.
- Men’s broadcast: Saturday, October 10 at 9.00am MT (3.00pm UTC / 5.00pm CEST) live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.
Men's livestream: Red Bull Rampage
Top male freeride mountain bikers return to Utah for a high-stakes showcase on the most unforgiving terrain.
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