The Red Bull Rampage is back. During October 1-3 the return of Red Bull Rampage will draw the greatest riders in the world to the legendary venue just outside Virgin, Utah. This year a new crop of riders will be invited to earn their chance at mountain bike glory with the addition of a qualifying day.

On a dangerous network of ridges near Zion National Park, riders will have free reign to navigate their descent between a designated starting gate and a finish line more than 1,000 vertical feet below. Along the way, athletes will hit a series of hand-built slopestyle features such as the return of the 60-foot canyon gap jump.

Friday kicks into gear with a new addition to the format, where a mix of 25 up-and-coming riders and industry vets will test their skills in a qualifying session in hopes of making the cut to Sunday’s elimination round. Each rider will receive 2 runs with their best score counting, and the top 10 athletes will then move on to Sunday’s Super Final.

Saturday is slated as a practice and build day – allowing Friday’s top riders to be at their best for the Sunday Super Final competition – and they’ll need it. Here they will join the top 15 finalists from 2008 that are guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s competition, and with heavy hitters such as the teenage event winner Brandon Semenuk and best trick winner Thomas Vanderham slated in, everyone will have to bring their A-game to come out on top.

In the finals each rider will get two shots at the course and their best run score counts. Competitors will be judged on style, amplitude, fluidity, and difficulty of line. In addition, the athlete who throws down the most amazing trick during the finals will also be presented with a Red Bull Rampage Best Trick award by the Utah Sports Commission.

This year, Red Bull Rampage will open its doors to new riders, more spectators, and a dedicated camping site will also be added to enhance the experience. A limited amount of spectators will be allowed on site through a free pre-registration process. Details for registering for the spectator spots will be available later this summer via www.redbullusa.com/rampage.

Due to the remote nature of the venue, spectators will be required to ride their bikes or walk the 3 miles to the event site from the parking area, but a complimentary bike valet service and water will be provided. Local vendor Sol Foods will be there on Friday 10/1 and Sunday 10/3 where food and drinks will be available for purchase.

The history of the event

As the new millennium arrived in 2000, a new breed of riders were pushing the frontiers of mountain biking, veering off the established groomed trails to forge first descents down uncharted mountains, similar to backcountry freeskiers. These riders were tackling steep lines and treacherous cliff drops, filming jaw-dropping video parts, and pushing the limits of the sport.

With the birth of Red Bull Rampage in 2001, the event gave these pioneering riders a venue to prove that they were among the most skillful riders on the planet – not to mention some of the craziest. Red Bull Rampage immediately became the event that everyone clamored to be at all year; riders from all mountain bike disciplines hoped for an exclusive invite to the event, and the industry held its collective breath every October to see just how far Red Bull Rampage and the riders would push the sport.

After four inspiring and extremely successful years at the same venue, the long search began for a new, even more challenging piece of terrain. Event organizers scoured the globe from Turkey to China to Mexico and beyond to find the perfect location that could match the sport’s progression. Ironically, after years of searching, it was only 20 miles from the original Red Bull Rampage site that the most ideal land revealed itself – and called for the return of mountain biking’s biggest event in 2008.

Red Bull Rampage: The Evolution combined big mountain natural terrain with man-made slopestyle elements, including an infamous 60 ft gap. Proving it was truly an evolution, the 17-year-Canadian Brandon Semenuk took the top spot. When the event started, he was still in grade school. With the return of Red Bull Rampage to the same venue in 2010, it’s in anyone’s hands to write the next chapter in freeride history.