Brandon meets up with Kenny Smith in the Utah desert to scope out some lines for the upcoming Red Bull Rampage event. After nailing a couple runs, the boys wrap up their downhill session and head to Las Vegas, Nevada where they try skydiving for the first time.

Previous episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt-HHxWz1x0
All episodes! http://www.youtube.com/show/lifebehindbars

Brandon Semenuk dominated the 2012 FMB World Tour season and after a nail biting head to head battle with Martin Soderstrom at Red Bull Rampage, he was able to take his second consecutive FMB World Tour title and the golden CamelBak Better Bottle. The 2012 FMB World Tour Podium is completed with Martin Soderstrom (SWE) in 2nd and Thomas Genon (BEL) in 3rd position.

Three riders could have taken the FMB World Tour title at Red Bull Rampage – Thomas Genon sadly didn’t make it to the finals meaning Soderstrom and Semenuk were going head to head on the blood red sand. At Red Bull Rampage, Brandon came out the gate in true ripper style, taking probably the hardest line on the mountain. Successfully manoeuvring down the slippy loose rock on almost vertical faces, with multiple drops and a never seen before step down transfer but unfortunately crashed later in the middle section. After Brandon’s first crash, Martin could almost touch the golden Camelbak Better Bottle but as fate would have it, he also crashed on a 360 off a massive step down. So it all came down to the second runs. Realising that the judges were highly rewarding the upper section of the mountain and the line difficulty, Semenuk kept his gnarly technical upper line and flew down the mountain but later crashed while landing a backflip on the soft soil in the middle section. Martin’s eyes lit up! This was his final chance to win the 2012 FMB World Tour title after battling for it all year – all he needed was a minimum of 69.0 points (7th place finish) for his run. Martin chose a typical flowy and fluid upper section and once again set himself up for the 360, but he also became a victim of the mountain, slightly over rotating and his bike along with his hopes of winning the title sank into the soft desert sand.

With Soderstrom not scoring at Rampage Semenuk didn’t need another top score to secure the title and so it was his great earlier performance with six victories at Jumpship, Chatel Mountain Style, Crankworx Les 2 Alpes, Claymore Challenge, Colorado Freeride Festival and Bearclaw Invitational that once again earned him the FMB World Tour Championship.
Aside from the battle between Soderstrom and Semenuk for the podium, this year has been particularly competitive and the top ten in the overall ranking consists of a very high calibre of riders. Thomas Genon stunned the world with his win at Red Bull Joyride and a 3rd place overall – a fantastic result for the 19 year old rider from Belgium. Placed 4th overall was newcomer and Canadian young gun – Brett Rheeder. This young talent shone through at Claymore Challenge, placing second, only just missing out to Brandon Semenuk. He carried on climbing up the ranking with further podium finishes. We can expect to see a lot more from Brett in 2013. Experienced riders Sam Pilgrim, Yannick Granieri and Sam Reynolds, were all battling for the podium until misfortunes and injuries hindered their climb to the top – but with a strong finish in the top ten they end the season with a positive result. Anthony Messere has exceeded all expectations finishing in 7th overall after scoring big with a bronze medal at Bearclaw invitational and a respectful top ten finish at other Gold events. The McCaul brothers rounding off the table in 9th and 10th can be upbeat about their finish. Cam had a great 3rd place finish at Red Bull Joyride and Tyler had a solid year with a strong 5th place at Red Bull Rampage – results which consequently lifted them into the top ten – freeride mountain bikers of 2012.

Two FMB World Tour Champion titles in a row and a second place in 2010 is an impressive demonstration of Semenuk’s strength. Does he have a secret for success? If he does, he isn’t telling! But Brandon definitely takes full advantage of the natural environment at his local area in Canada– training hard and dedicating his lifestyle to his mountain bike career. His attitude and commitment to the sport and the FMB World Tour has paid off with a consecutive title.

Slopestyle and Big Mountain events are not just about going bigger or faster than the rider before you. Attention to detail, technical skills, creativity, fluidity and trick skills all help put together a winning run. A FMB World Tour champion needs to have all of these attributes completely dialled. Brandon Semenuk delivered all this, giving the judges an easy job by ticking all the boxes. His consistency was unmatched and with six wins in a row, he made a statement loud and clear – he is the one to beat and once again is the one and only 2012 FMB World Tour Champion.

On day one of Red Bull Rampage 2012, the qualifying athletes take to the desert landscape to see who has what it takes to make it to the final. Crashes, flips and an epic redemption run for Cam McCaul highlight the day. Check out this first clip and the amazing pictures below!

Pictures: (c)John Gibson, Christian Pondella, Ian Hylands/Red Bull Content Pool

If you think you can ride for 6hours non stop..check out this nice event (first edition!) near SV.

After Crankworx, Brandon and Logan head down south to Oregon to meet up with R-Dog and Cob for some downhill trail riding. After Logan is sidelined with food poisoning, he manages to pull himself together for a fun BMX session at a skatepark in Keizer, Oregon. Lastly, the boys hit the coast for some dune buggy action.

Check out this cool side project:

Red Bull Rampage competitors Darren Berrecloth and Andeu Lacondeguy give insight on the most feared downhill mountain bike contest in the world, Red Bull Rampage. Taking place in the vast Utah desert, the two weigh in on the unique soil and terrain and the prestige of winning freeride mountain biking’s most treacherous contest.

Rampage is back! On October 5th – 7th amongst a crowd of world-class riders, three athletes will battle on the blood red dirt of the Utah desert at Red Bull Rampage for the 2012 FMB World Tour title: Brandon Semenuk, Martin Soderstrom and Thomas Genon. Red Bull Rampage is a big mountain event at one of the world’s ultimate mountain bike proving grounds. So what better place can there be to hold the final battle for the 2012 FMB World Tour and the golden Camelbak Better Bottle? Only the crème-de-la-crème of mountain bikers can compete and you will be able to watch every breath taking run LIVE via www.fmbworldtour.com. Based out in the remote, hazardous and picturesque desert in Utah, this second and last Diamond event of the FMB World Tour is the one event that no one wants to miss!

So far in the 2012 FMB World Tour season we have had the pleasure to witness true progression in the disciplines of Dirt Jump, Slopestyle and Big Mountain. The riders have never failed to stun us with their bigger than ever tricks and daring combos. This August at Red Bull Joyride one rider – Brandon Semenuk who is the defending FMB World Tour Champion, had the chance to take home an early overall victory as 2012 FMB World Tour Champion but due to two unsuccessful runs, the battle for the title moves on to Red Bull Rampage. This was good news for Martin Soderstrom, who since Bearclaw invitational has been right on Brandon’s tail for the title and the golden Camelbak Better Bottle. With Martins 2nd place finish at Red Bull Joyride, he heads into the season finale only 32.5 points behind Brandon. Underdog, Thomas Genon stunned the world in amazing style with his victory at Red Bull Joyride and consequently earns himself a place as the third and final rider still in contention for the FMB World Tour title.

Every rider has their strengths and weakness’s– some prefer big mountain, some prefer slopestyle or pure dirt jumps. Brandon Semenuk when he was only 18 years old already won Red Bull Rampage back in 2008. He is going to Red Bull Rampage with a point’s advantage and more experience at big mountain events than his FMB World Tour title rivals – so although he is the clear favourite, Red Bull Rampage is the ultimate challenge for every rider and this mountain really is anybody’s to conquer! The excitement is growing day by day and we all want to know who will be the 2012 FMB World Tour Champion. To give you a better idea of how many fingers to cross for your favourite athlete the graph below explains the current overall ranking scenarios for Red Bull Rampage and the FMB World Tour title. For example, the graph shows that if Brandon Semenuk places 7th at the event, then Martin Soderstrom has to place a minimum of 3rd to beat him, or Thomas has to win – otherwise, Brandon with his point advantage will be FMB World Tour Champion for the second consecutive time.

So – Brandon Semenuk, Martin Soderstrom and Thomas Genon – these are the riders who will be battling it out on the dirt of the Utah desert for the 2012 FMB World Tour title.
But make no mistake, there are plenty more world-class riders wanting to stand in their way and win this glorious event! Aside from the thrilling battle suspense for the FMB World Tour title, lets not forget that Red Bull Rampage brings together the best and most daring of mountain bikers. Riders like defending Red Bull Rampage winner and 2010 FMB World Tour Champion Cameron Zink, the mad Spaniard Andreu Lacondeguy and as a real treat, British downhill legend Gee Atherton will be taking to the mountain. You can check out the Red Bull Rampage teaser here.

This year the FMB World Tour has had a record-breaking amount of LIVE webcasts and Red Bull Rampage will be no exception! Bring the popcorn and strap yourself in for the ride because, thanks to Red Bull Media House you can enjoy all the action from Red Bull Rampage via the LIVE webcast on www.fmbworldtour.com. Tune in and be the first to know who is crowned 2012 FMB World Tour Champion and take home the brand new, golden Camelbak Better Bottle trophy!
There you have it – Red Bull Rampage is back! The 2012 FMB World tour finale is upon us and this last Diamond event will be the ultimate test for world’s best mountain bike athletes.

An amazing clip becomes mindblowing in slow mo. Just like this. Darren Berrecloth 360ing in one of the world’s most remote places – the Upper Mustang Region in Nepal. Where the trail ends.

Enjoy the 2012 Suzuki Nine Knights Presented by G-SHOCK Contour highlight clip.

And in case you missed, Suzuki Nine Knights here’s full results of the contest!

This episode of Life Behind Bars takes us to the Mecca of mountain biking and Brandon Semenuk’s hometown of Whistler, BC for the legendary Red Bull Joyride slopestyle competition. Tough competition and the mental weight of being the hometown hero cause Brandon’s nerves to run out of control, and he struggles to pull himself together to put down a solid run. Find out if the champion’s experience and skill are enough to surpass his doubt, and claim him one of the most coveted titles in mountain biking: the 1st place result in Red Bull Joyride.