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Female freeride pioneer Casey Brown is ready for Red Bull Rampage
One of freeride mountain biking's biggest stars, Casey Brown is known for her skill and determination to usher women's freeride into the spotlight. Learn more about her journey to Red Bull Rampage.
Sixteen years ago, a young Casey Brown from Revelstoke, Canada, embarked on a 1,200-mile road trip to the red desert of Virgin, Utah. While she watched amongst the crowds at Red Bull Rampage, Brown imagined herself descending those iconic spines and cliffs one day.
"Watching Red Bull Rampage felt like I was witnessing the pinnacle of the sport and there was so much energy around the event that you knew you were part of something special,” Brown explains.
Until recently, freeriding hasn't been a viable career option for female mountain bikers. Brown's next best option was to race and hone her bike skills, so she raced downhill, taking the Canadian National downhill title in 2012. She went on to race in the UCI Downhill World Cup, claiming sixth in at her first WC race, and also competed in Crankworx, taking the Queen of Crankworx title twice. After a stint on the World Cup circuit, Brown switched to the Enduro World Series, but despite finding success across both disciplines, it never fully satiated her.
Going big on a bike has always been Brown's passion
© Emily Tidwell/Red Bull Content Pool
Being creative on her bike and catching air was more Brown's cup of tea, which wasn't well suited for race results. Instead, she pursued media projects.
Brown grew up during the heyday of New World Disorder freeride mountain bike films and her late older brother, Sam Brown, even starred in New World Disorder III. His segment stood out for his ingenuity, famously riding a giant wooden hamster wheel in one segment. Her brother's love for riding was a major influence on her.
"Sam was my first inspiration," she reflects. In 2016, she scored her first film opportunity in Anthill's Not2Bad. The following year, Brown starred in Teton Gravity Research's Rogue Elements, where she became one of two mountain bikers to ever ride into Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's Corbet’s Couloir – one of the hardest ski runs in North America.
Casey Brown hits the Triple Threat at Red Bull Formation 2022 in Utah
© Robin O'Neill/Red Bull Content Pool
Filming gave Brown the freedom she craved while sharpening her freeriding prowess. Film shoots took her around the world, from Argentina to Nepal, exposing her to all kinds of riding and terrain. The world also took notice, as Brown showed other female riders that it was possible to carve out a career in freeride. Still, the goal to ride at Red Bull Rampage remained.
In 2019, Brown had a shot by competing in Proving Grounds, a former qualifier for Rampage. Brown was the only woman to drop-in, soaring off colossal wooden drops. With each feature she ticked off, she made history. Unfortunately, a gust of wind took her out, ending her season due to an injury. However, a year later Red Bull Formation was introduced – a women-only progression session that fostered female freeride talent. Brown was unable to ride, but attended to support the inaugural group by offering digging insight and mentorship.
More on Red Bull Rampage and female freeriders
Working on her Red Bull Formation line. Now she's ready to build at Rampage
© Robin O'Neill/Red Bull Content Pool
Brown participated in the 2021 and 2022 Red Bull Formations, levelling up with each iteration. At the 2022 event, Brown teamed up with Hannah Bergemann to ride a revamped version of Brett Rheeder's 2014 Red Bull Rampage line. One of the most harrowing aspects of the line was the drop-in, which was highly consequential. The duo rode the line, full of cliff drops and jumps, flawlessly from top to bottom and showed the world that they were ready for mountain biking's biggest stage.
Hannah Bergemann and Casey Brown are more than ready for Rampage's terrain
© Robin O'Neill/Red Bull Content Pool
Going into this year's ground-breaking Red Bull Rampage, which will feature a women's contest for the first time, Brown is ready to drop-in and embark on this next chapter in her career. "It's pretty surreal, but deep down I know it had to happen for the women. It's been a long journey,” she says, reflecting on the new women’s category.
In preparation, she's been training for the whole summer, riding her bike all around the globe. One tool in her back pocket is the Samsung Galaxy Ring, which tracks her cumulative fitness data. This data will be incredibly handy during the competition, giving her a real-time snapshot of her energy and exertion level at any point.
Competing means many things for Brown. It means finally coming full circle with this dream she's carried all these years while opening the door for the next generation of women.
"By having the pinnacle of the sport accessible to women, it's going to open up freeride to more riders," she says. "Whether or not they have Rampage as their goal, I think the trickle-down effect of having women at the event will be massive for mountain biking."
Red Bull Rampage 2024 takes place on October 10–12 in Virgin, Utah, with the women's contest taking place on Thursday, October 10 and the men's final on Saturday, October 12. You can watch both events live right here on Red Bull TV.
