Q&A: Vanderham, Sorge, and Semenuk

THOMAS VANDERHAM, 3RD PLACE and WINNER OF BEST TRICK
Tell us about your first run.
Well, I set the canyon gap as the center of my run and just tried to build a line in and out of it. I successfully did that the night before and the morning of the Final, but I didn't get to ride my line in completion until my run. It all came together and it was clean, so I'm pumped.

When you've got elements of the run that you haven't even done before, does that make you really nervous right before you drop in?
Most of my nerves happen the night before or the morning of. When they count you down and it's time to go, it's on and there are no nerves at all.

What do you think about the process of picking your own lines?
I think that's what makes this event really unique and cool; you have all these options. It's not all built for you. This year we saw some stuff built for us, but this event really shows creativity and the riders' own personal style, and that's cool.

What was your overall impression of Red Bull Rampage: The Evolution?
I thought this venue worked out really well. There were lots of options for riders, lots of work to be done. I think the event went off; it was a total success.

When you were working out what you were doing to do over the canyon gap, were you thinking about what it would take to win best trick?
I never even considered that. I jumped it once before my run and overshot it by like 20 feet, so that wasn't so inspiring. I tweaked my ankle a bit and I'll probably have some ice on it for the next couple of days but it should be fine. I got it together in both my runs and landed properly; I planned to do the no-hander, it was just a matter of executing it, so I'm glad I landed safely.

KURT SORGE, 2ND PLACE
Take us through your first run.
I had my line picked out, and it took me all last night and this morning to build it. I started off with a big step-down into a gnarly line into the canyon gap. That's all I rode. In my run, I hit all that and it went good, so I sent everything else blind and it went well, so I'm stoked. I had never ridden the rest of the line before. Not riding a feature until your run is pretty gnarly. I like to have my run dialed before I do it.

What are you thinking about before you drop in?
You're shaking at the top, just trying to stay focused but your mind is going 100 miles per hour, you don't know what to think. You just let it go, let it ride, point it downhill and give'r.

What did you think about the process of picking your own lines?
Picking lines is super hard; there are 28 riders here, and they all want the best line. In my qualifier, I had a pretty good run; no one else took it. It's hard, there are different styles, everyone rides a different kind of thing, so I just pick something that I'm good at or that I like to ride. Whatever's fun, whatever you think you'd be best at.

What's your overall impression of the event?
Gnarly, dude - way gnarlier than I expected. I watched it on TV and DVD, and you're like, "That's sick!" but it's so much gnarlier in person. I'm so stoked.

Did you expect to make it to the podium?
Not even close. There are legends here, dude! Second place? Awesome.

BRANDON SEMENUK, 1ST PLACE
Take us through your second run.
I was a little dazed because I had hit my head on the 360 drop in my first run. I was a little stressed out; I really wanted to get that last drop. I was just trying to put it all together; it worked out the way I wanted, so I'm pretty stoked.

How does Red Bull Rampage: The Evolution compare to the other events you're more accustomed to doing?
This event was crazy compared to all of the other events I've been doing this year. It's big mountain, and I'm on a downhill bike that I haven't ridden tons because I'm usually on my slopestyle bike or my hardtail doing contests or filming or whatnot. It took a bit to get used to. It was also tough to figure out the terrain, because Utah has the craziest terrain in the world. There's nothing like it.

How did the process of finding your own lines work out for you?
I thought it was pretty cool the way you had to pick out your lines, because you could just go anywhere and build. You could be totally original; it took work, but if there's one place to do it, it's Utah. You can build something that may take five days anywhere else in just a few hours here. It takes some time to work it out, then you ride it, and then you huck it.

What's going through your head before you drop in?
I'm just trying to relax and breathe. Trying not to stress out too much and amp myself out. Just focus on what I want to do, go over my run in my head, and then just send it.

Were there elements of your run that you hadn't hit yet?
I hadn't done the 360 on the last drop and the no-hander on the big gap, and the no-foot can over the gap before that one. We were just kind of going for it.

What's your overall impression of the event?
Red Bull Rampage is pretty much everything I thought it would be - it's gnarly. It's nothing like what you watch on video or see in pictures. In real life, it's just crazy!