Ram(PTSD)age
As you can imagine, it takes a large portion of a professional freerider’s year to prepare for, and decompress from the one and only, Red Bull Rampage. There is so much that goes into the event with logistics, bike testing/ building, ordering extra everything, custom gear, flying in and out family, healing, etc.
Even coming off the win, the wake of this incredible event leaves me somewhat lost. Limping around isn’t the issue, but there is a different mindset that takes time to cultivate, and time to come out of. I find myself thinking I should be working while it is the most understandable time to rest. I think that’s a part of devoting everything you have to a specific task that has a amazing byproducts; you battled until you are physically incapable to continue. Now you deserve to rest.
After putting your life on the battlefield charging toward the biggest goal you’ve had, in the sport you have dedicated your life to, it is incredibly difficult to replace the sense of purpose, motivation and self-worth. Pivoting to working on other projects, focusing on family, or simply just riding, never seem to fill the void. Only time does.
We all need a sense of purpose. We all need goals. We all need adversity to overcome. We all need something extra out of life. This event is the purveyor of all of those and more. I think that’s why it’s so hard to hang it up. I mean, really, that’s why I haven’t even thought about hanging it up. I get asked when I’m retiring quite frequently, but it doesn’t cross my mind without others prodding.
This year was one of the greatest ever, and not just for my own obvious personal reasons. The level of every athlete on that hill has grown to such an inspiring level. It is like splitting hairs for all the judges, but the same sort of vigor and pushing yourself that still prevails. I have heard many people say, “The Freeride was brought back to the biggest Freeride Event!”. I think this was mainly due to two of the best slopestyle riders to ever do it, Brandon and Brett, weren’t present. They have cultivated their craft and similar riding style to such perfection that it had what it takes to win a total of six Rampages between the two of them. But now that they are gone, I believe the more raw freeriding is what everyone wants to do, and is more capable of doing. Taking some leaps of faith, rather than dialing in the most technically advanced runs, predicated on tricks the majority of us have never done on a bike with more than 100mm of travel. Hats off to them for being the best that ever did it in that style (until Emil does it in the next few years), but I am beyond proud of where our sport is, the amount of attention it is grabbing, the integrity, authenticity, camaraderie, talent and level of hard work.
Every year, throughout the weeks after the event, riders start exchanging email threads of what can be improved for the athletes, but at this point the only thing that we need is a new venue and a prize purse that keeps up with the surfing, skate, and snow events it blows out of the water on viewership, risk and passionate fans. None of us do it for the money, so that’s probably why we are where we are, but regardless, I am already starting to think about our 2024 trip to Virgin, Utah!