
2025 marked the second year that Red Bull Rampage held an official womens’ competition. Unfortunately, 2025 will go down in the record books for a much more sinister reason: it was one of the most injury-filled competitions in Rampage history.
By our count, at least eight competitors — three men and five women — suffered serious injuries either during practice or during their competition run, forcing them to withdraw from the event.
Five women injured during practice
The women’s event was held first, on Friday, October 17th, followed by the men’s event on Sunday, October 19th, and the injuries began early on during women’s practice. Of the 12-rider roster, five women were injured during practice and couldn’t compete on Friday.
Casey Brown, the Canadian standout, broke her tibial plateau (knee) on Tuesday evening, October 14, when her rear wheel slid on entry to “Princess Killer,” a 35-foot near-vertical drop. She was airlifted to St. George Hospital but remained alert and in good spirits despite the serious fracture, later posting a vlog of her crash. As of October 21, that vlog has been removed or set as private.
Vaea Verbeeck, also from Canada, crashed the same day on a steep technical drop where she drifted slightly off line. The impact was violent enough to break her collarbone, fracture two upper ribs, and cause a pneumothorax (collapsed lung). “This line was going to be really fun and I am bummed to miss out on the fun,” wrote Verbeeck on Instagram. “I’ll be up watching my gals though cuz there are lots of cool lines up there. Just another bump on this crazy road.”
By Thursday practice on October 16, three more women went down. Chelsea Kimball from the USA suffered a concussion on a step-down setup near the upper cliffs — the same zone where Nicholi Rogatkin crashed in 2015. Ironically, Kimball had successfully ridden Battleship and El Presidente (the biggest drop in the women’s field) earlier in that same practice session.
Harriet Burbidge-Smith from Australia sustained a minor shoulder injury during Thursday evening practice, but even “minor” injuries make Rampage too dangerous to compete. “I’m all good!” wrote Burbidge-Smith on Instagram. “Unfortunately not dropping this morning after a heavy crash last night. Gutted is an understatement but only a minor shoulder injury.”
CJ Selig, from the USA but currently living in Germany, crashed on a large hip feature that had already bruised her heel during Sunday’s earlier practice. “I can’t explain how heartbroken I feel,” Selig wrote on Instagram. “I was so proud of everyone riding finals but not being with them hurt so much. 💔” She’s returning to Germany for surgery, but her injury wasn’t specified.
The decimated field of just seven riders competed on Friday, October 17, with Robin Goomes from New Zealand ultimately winning her second consecutive Rampage title.
One man injured during practice, two during competition
The men’s field saw three out of 18 riders injured.
First, Aiden Parish, a Rampage rookie from the USA, crashed during Saturday morning practice on October 18 while attempting a massive 67-foot diagonal step-down — a feature he had successfully sent to 92 feet just two days earlier. Coming up short on the landing, he was pitched over the bars and impacted hard down the slope, suffering a broken femur and cracking his helmet. Alert and giving a thumbs-up while being stretchered out, Parish was airlifted to a nearby hospital and later received the “McGazza Spirit Award” for his determination.
Competition day on Sunday, October 19, brought two serious crashes that transformed the finals atmosphere from celebration to emergency response. Adolf Silva from Spain under-rotated a double backflip during his second run around 1pm, catching his front wheel and striking the rocky landing hard with his head. In what’s been called “the most horrific crash ever seen in this event,” Silva flipped and ragdolled, rolling down the slope and lying motionless initially before Classic Air Medical airlifted him to St. George Regional Hospital. Officials paused the competition for approximately 30 minutes. He was later reported awake, responsive, and talking with his family.
In an Instagram update published late on October 20, Silva wrote:
After this first day in the hospital I want to thank everyone for their thoughts overnight.
I do have a lower back injury and my focus is on my recovery.
Its great to have my family here and feel all the support from all of you guys.Thank you, Loco ⚡️
Just minutes after competition resumed, Emil Johansson from Sweden crashed on his opening tailwhip off the start platform. Landing awkwardly, he shot left off the track over a ridge and tumbled toward a sheer cliff, managing to stop on the last ledge before a potentially fatal drop. Unable to climb out on his own from the exposed, inaccessible position, Johansson required a complex extraction that paused competition for over an hour. Johansson was also airlifted to the nearby hospital after suffering a severe hip dislocation that will likely require surgery to clean the joint. Posting on Instagram afterward, he wrote: “Thankful to be alive in one piece and doing ok considering the circumstances.”
Despite the sobering injuries, riders collectively decided to continue after Silva’s crash, with rookie Finley Kirschenmann stating they were “doing this for Adolf.” 22-year-old Hayden Zablotny from Canada won the men’s competition as a rookie, while the event awarded Silva a “Toughness Award” in recognition of his courage.
Reddit reacts
R/mtb was abuzz with Rampage discussions, with multiple threads posted about Silva’s crash in particular. Many questioned whether they could continue following the event after seeing so many horrific injuries.
Other commenters were quick to mention Paul Basagoitia’s injury in 2015, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite being told he’d never walk again, Basagoitia has overcome insurmountable odds, coming back to complete a half-marathon on foot in 2024, and return to mountain biking thanks to e-bike technology.
At the end of the day, it’s easy for those of us standing on the sidelines to say the cost of these injuries isn’t worth the risk. And yet, young guns continue to line up to compete: Zablotny has the distinction of being the first rookie to win Rampage since Brandon Semenuk first competed in 2008.
So if these brutal injuries make some of us sick to our stomachs, why don’t we just stop watching? I think it’s the same fascination we all have when we drive by a car crash: we know we shouldn’t look, but we just can’t help ourselves.
Updated October 21, 2025, at 9:30am MDT with Adolf Silva’s Instagram update.
9 Comments
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In 1977, I got my first motorcycle. A Kawasaki 350. I had no desire to build ramps and try to jump over my parents Buick Electra 225. Evil Knievel did though. He got hurt often, but was successful at the same time too.
The same can be said for the athletes participating in this event. Just because people want to ride their bikes off a 35 foot cliff, doesn’t mean I’m going to want to do that too. People are going to get hurt, but if they are willing to risk that possibility for the potential gain and glory that’s up to them.
We don’t have to understand it, like it, or watch it. But, I am all about letting people do what they want to do.
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