Red Bull Hardline is renowned as the toughest downhill race in the world. The courses feature massive gap jumps and gigantic drops, borrowing “elements from dirt jumping and BMX — features that aren’t permitted in traditional World Cup racing,” according to Red Bull. In years past, some of the planned features have been deemed too hard or unsafe during practice, indicating that Hardline truly pushes the envelope of what’s possible on a mountain bike.
Hardline was founded in Wales in 2014 by Dan and Gee Atherton, and it expanded to Tasmania in 2025. And now, this epic event series is coming to North America for the first time.
Red Bull has just announced that Cypress Mountain, located on Vancouver, BC’s North Shore, will become only the third location ever to host Hardline. The inaugural North American event will be held on October 17, 2026.
“The Red Bull Hardline course at Cypress Mountain will be unlike any other downhill track on the circuit,” writes Red Bull. “Think massive jumps and gap sections, sheer drops exceeding 10 meters, technical rock gardens, and descents steep enough to make even the seasoned pros think twice.”
No photos have been released of the new course, but we’ve learned that two of the most decorated Canadian Hardline competitors, Jackson Goldstone and Gracey Hemstreet, have been working with the Athertons to design the new Cypress Mountain course.
“After walking the future Red Bull Hardline track, I’m pretty intimidated but excited — I think this will be the best one yet,” said Gracey Hemstreet, the reigning Hardline champion. “Everyone’s going to be so stoked, and the crowd is going to be huge. Bringing Red Bull Hardline to Canada is something everyone has wanted, and it’s super exciting it’s finally happening,”
A Hardline course, but no bike park?
The North Shore is the birthplace of freeride mountain biking, and bringing an event to the North Shore that has its roots as much in freeride as it does in downhill racing is a fitting addition to the series. However, Cypress Mountain seems like an interesting choice for the venue, as it doesn’t currently offer a downhill mountain bike park. The mountain previously operated a bike park beginning in 2005, which shut down before the Winter Olympics in 2010, according to forum postings and Singletracks commenters.
Whistler Bike Park, located an hour and a half up the road, is far and away the most famous bike park in the region. And nearby Grouse Mountain, also located on the North Shore, just began spinning its lifts for mountain bikers with a newly-built bike park in 2025.
Clearly, a Hardline course is not a public amenity; even professional riders approach the features cautiously, scoping lines and planning their approach carefully. This is a closed course that only professional riders can access, so a public bike park isn’t required.
That said, it appears that Cypress Mountain may be trying to make a splash in the mountain bike scene. “This event will introduce Cypress Mountain’s terrain to a global audience of riders who’ve never seen what this mountain is capable of,” said Matt Davies, Cypress Mountain’s General Manager. “Red Bull Hardline is a statement moment for Cypress, and we think it’s the beginning of a much bigger story for biking on this mountain.”
Hosting Hardline will definitely grab attention, but it seems like a strange way to market a public-facing bike park that doesn’t exist yet. One thing’s for sure: we’ll be keeping our eye on Cypress Mountain to see what they’re cooking up.
1 Comments
1 minute ago
Either way, hardline coming to Cypress is very exciting! I'll be putting that in my calendar for sure.