VISIONA VISIONARY

UNDERTAKING | NEWS & HAPPENINGS
T
ODD BARBER IS A TALL MAN. HE’S GOT THAT CALIFORNIAN EASY-GOING WAY ABOUT
HIM AND SPEAKS SOFTLY. IN THE MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD HE IS A VISIONARY. WITH HIS COMPANY,
GLOBAL EVENT MANAGEMENT, HE HAS COOKED UP A FEW DANDIES FOR THE SPORTING WORLD. COCREATOR OF THE RED BULL RAMPAGE, HE HELPED TO LAUNCH THE FREERIDE GENERATION. WHILE
WE MUNCHED DOWN HEAPING PLATES OF TACOS ON A LATE NIGHT IN MEXICO, HE TALKED ABOUT HIS
CREATION AND WHERE EVERYTHING IS HEADING...
TODDBARBER
VISIONARY
2006
BYJOHNGIBSON
Mountain Bike Camps
MAKE MORE TRAILS MORE FUN!
Jump start your skills with world-class
instruction on amazing singletrack.
In 2006, choose from fifteen Sugoi Dirt
Series camps, women’s only and co-ed,
in some of the best mountain bike
destinations in North America.
Ride and learn with an elite, professional
coaching staff that includes National
Champions and highly trained instructors.
Each camp offers skills development
programs for riders of all levels from
beginner to advanced.
mountain biker and gave us the area
to use for the Rampage. Also Bender’s
input was huge. He’s a solid guy. And
his buddy Dean ‘DW’ Williams helped
as well. Derek Westerlund of Freeride
Entertainment has been there for us the
whole time.
DECLINE: What was your first move?
TB: Well we began a big search for a sight.
I was up heli-skiing in Alaska and saw a
mountain bike magazine with a picture of Josh
Bender on the cover and I thought, “If there’s
someone who knows about this, it’s this guy.”
Bender showed us a bunch of areas all over
Utah then finally showed us his own ‘backyard’
in Virgin, Utah. James Woodruff who is the
owner of Global Event Management was with
us and said, “Someone’s gonna die!” and took
off in his car to call our insurance people.
DECLINE: When you look back at the
legacy of the Red Bull Rampage how
does it make you feel?
TB: Every time I pick up a mountain bike
magazine and see a Rampage photo I
say to myself, ‘Hey, I created that!’ Up
to the day I die I’ll know that I did this
and know what it became. It’s my baby.
I thought up the name Rampage. It’s
personal and I take pride in it. Now it’s
time to move on.
DECLINE: How
did the first Rampage go in
2001?
TB: The freeride scene was
not quite there yet
in 2001. I remember the first day
in practice I said,
“Well let’s see
what they can
do.” The first
year was a test.
I thought, “I
know they can
make the easy line.”
Now everyone takes it for granted.
Why not join the 2000 mountain bikers who
have already boosted their confidence
and technique thanks to the most wellregarded instructional program anywhere?
Camp Schedule
April 14-15
April 22-23
May 13-14
May 20-21
May 22
May 27-28
June 17-18
July 8-9
July 15-16
July 22-23
August 5-6
August 15-16
August 19-20
August 26-27
September 9-10
DECLINE: How did the Red Bull Rampage
begin?
TB: Back in 2000 Paul “L.P.” Crandell of Red
Bull and myself dreamed it up. We had organized a few big mountain ski events together
and thought freeride mountain biking was
ready to be showcased.
San Rafael, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
North Vancouver, BC
Calgary, AB
Calgary, AB
Edmonton, AB
Whistler, BC
Ketchum, ID
Portland, OR
Bend, OR
North Vancouver, BC
Blue River, BC*
Canmore, AB
Fernie, BC
Whistler, BC*
DECLINE: Who helped you get that first
Rampage off the ground?
TB: Well, Red Bull gave me the backing.
It was Paul Crandell who believed in
me. And the big surprise was Cimarron
Chacon of the Bureau of Land Management in St. George, Utah. She’s a huge
DECLINE: What’s next for the Rampage?
Is the Recon the new Rampage?
TB: Well the Red Bull Recon [Editor’s
Note: see complete coverage in the November-2005 issue of DECLINE]
was a natural progression of
the Rampage. With the Recon
there was more diversity. It was
an exploration. Freeriding is not
just Utah and the lines in Virgin.
With this trip we showed the next
step. We wanted to celebrate the
athletes and what they have done.
I mean back at the first Red Bull
Rampage in 2001 guys showed up
with a stock freakin’ Santa Cruz and
proved themselves!
Right now we are working on
another Recon mission for 2006. And
we are working on another Red Bull
Rampage event for 2007. The locations
for both are still being finalized and
nothing is definite at this time, but I’m
fired up.
*co-ed camps
Registration & Contact
Canadian Locations: CDN $225
US locations: US $215
Supported by:
Sugoi Performance Apparel, Rocky
Mountain Bicycles, Fox Racing Shox, Luna
Bar, Kicking Horse Coffee, Sunrise Soya
Foods, Brave Soldier Skincare, Race Face
Components and Giro Helmets.
www.dirtseries.com
Photos by: Sterling Lorence, Michael Cain
604 905 8876
info@dirtseries.com
www.dirtseries.com
024 | DECLINEMAGAZINE.COM