What Went Down At The World’s Gnarliest Mountain Biking Event
Red Bull Rampage hardly needs an introduction for most mountain bikers. But for anyone unfamiliar, let’s just call it the world championship of freeride mountain biking. An event unlike anything else, where the world’s best male and female riders come to the Utah desert to build a uniquely gnarly line, ride the hell out of it, and throw down huge tricks. Riders are judged on line choice, tricks, air time, and style. And each rider gets two attempts at a run for all the marbles.
DECKED is a proud sponsor of the event for the second year in a row, and had two DECKED athletes competing, so we loaded up the trucks and set off towards the mesas of Virgin, Utah.
This year, the desert decided to throw a stick in our spokes. A freak rainstorm soaked the venue early in the week, turning dust into peanut-butter mud and forcing delays of both the men’s and women’s events. The silver lining? It gave the dig crews — and our DECKED athletes, Casey Brown and Carson Storch — a little more time to patch, pack, and perfect the lines they’d already spent many days sculpting.
HEART AND HEARTBREAK: Casey Brown.
Rampage isn't just about the final run; it's about the grit and heart it takes to get there. And no one showed more guts than DECKED athlete Casey Brown. Casey, a true pioneer of the sport, had spent her time building a line that was pure, terrifying commitment. The centerpiece was a massively exposed, technical chute that looked more like a cliff — a feature no woman had ever attempted. During practice, Casey stepped up to go where no woman had gone before and be the first to send it. Unfortunately, a tiny skid at exactly the wrong moment sent her off the massive drop sideways, and Casey suffered a heavy crash that fractured her tibial plateau. She was was ok (by freeride MTB standards anyway), but unfortunately no longer able to compete in the finals. We’d like to congratulate Casey for pioneering that line, and paving the way for two other top women to ride it in the finals. We’re sending all our best to Casey for a fast and full recovery.
SURGICAL PRECISION: CARSON STORCH.
On the men's side, Carson Storch was, in a word, surgical. He dropped in and put down a run that was classic Storch: massive, flawlessly executed, and dripping with style as he sliced up the massive drops. From where we stood, it was one of the best runs of the event.
The judges, however, scored it lower than expected. Maybe he made it look too easy.
Even though Carson had more in the bag, he opted to play it safe and not attempt another run. Every single run at Rampage is a roll of the dice, and Carson decided not to put his life on the line for another point or two. We’re just proud as hell to see him ride his line exactly as he planned and walk away healthy.
THIS ONE’S FOR THE DIGGERS.
Back at the DECKED booth, we were focused on celebrating the folks who make this all possible: the diggers.
For the second year, we were honored to present the DECKED Digger Award, recognizing the blood, sweat, tears, and creative genius of the build crews. Skate legend and DECKED ambassador David Gravette was on hand to present the award for the women’s competition. And, to present the men's award, we brought in the GOAT himself, Kyle Strait. It was a wild new perspective for Kyle, as this was the first Rampage in history that he enjoyed from the sidelines.
PARTY AT THE DECKED BOOTH.
Our house and booth were ground zero for good times all weekend, led by our ringmaster and hype-man: Pro skater David Gravette. Trophy truck champ Christopher Polvoorde stopped by to hang out and rest up, before heading out to Baja to win the the Baja 1000. And the whole Strait family were settled in for a full weekend. We also teamed up with our partners at Outdoor Research and American Hat Co., plus artist Tall Boy, to create a run of exclusive Rampage ’25 shirts, koozies, and custom Turtlebox speakers that captured the spirit of the event.
SIGNING OFF FROM THE MESA.
Rampage 2025 was brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable. It was a stark reminder of the extreme nature of this sport, a showcase of next-level creativity, and yet again a demonstration that the soul of freeride is very much alive and well.
Huge congrats to every rider who dropped in. DECKED is proud to support the people who make this organized chaos happen. We’ll see you in the desert next year.
