It is the co-favorite Cam Zink who throws everything into the first run and clearly takes the lead with 90.33 points and stays there for quite a while. Although the tricks are becoming more and more complex and the rides are getting more and more complex, no one can get close to Zink, albeit closer and closer. Brett Rheeder and Thomas Genon come closest to the American with 89.33 and 89 points. Their runs might have been better overall, but Zink's flatdrop backflip from a huge drop must have made the difference.

But Zink's best mark fell in the first run when Kurt Sorge went one better. Two fat whips in the upper section, two consecutive backflips - one over a gap, the other over the big drop - plus a flatspin make up the winning 92.66 points.

Questionable scoring and a second run

In previous years, the second run had often been aborted or not started at all because the wind was usually too strong. This time there wasn't much wind and the organizers also tightened up the schedule. So the second run was started immediately after the first. Some riders tried to improve again, and so did Ethan Nell, who came to his first Rampage participation thanks to a wildcard. Nell didn't hold back, often coming off a bit hairy, but convinced the jury with a flatspin on the ridge, suicide nohander on the drop, backflips and another flatspin on the last jump. Nell thus deservedly made a big leap forward to third place behind Sorge and Zink. The latter tried to take the win again in the second run, but crashed shortly before the finish. Kurt Sorge then refrains from giving it his all again in the second run and casually cruises down his line as if there was nothing easier.

The jury's assessments are a talking point. Andreu Lacondeguy and Antoine Bizet, who also delivered super runs with difficult tricks, were rated as unsatisfactory by many. Lacondeguy, for example, pulled off a Superman backflip with a seatgrab in the lower section after his already spectacular ride: his run wouldn't have been enough to win, but eleventh place with just 83 points is a bit too low. Antoine Bizet, who did a double backflip and then a frontflip, also came in just behind Lacondeguy.

The evaluation of Tom Van Steenbergen's run also raised eyebrows. He went one better in terms of difficulty and creativity in the second run - a clearly visible improvement. The jury saw it differently and so there were hardly any more points for Steenbergen.

If the jury didn't have an easy time with the high performance density, individual scores were definitely insufficient, which gives the event a somewhat bland aftertaste.
Thanks to the high level of performance and the large repertoire of tricks, the Red Bull Rampage 2017 was nevertheless the most exciting in a long time, if not the best event in its history.

Ranking list Red Bull Rampage 2017

1. Kurt Sorge 92.66
2. Cam Zink 90.33
3. Ethan Nell 90.00
4. Brandon Semenuk 89.66
5. Brett Rheeder 89.33
6. Thomas Genon 89.00
7. Carson Storch 87.66
8. Kyle Strait 87.33
9. Tyler McCaul 87.00
10. Tom van Steenbergen 84.33
11. Andreu Lacondeguy 83.00
12. Antoine Bizet 81.66
13. Darren Berrecloth 81.00
14. Vincent Tupin 78.00
15. Pierre Edouard Ferry 76.33
16. Logan Binggeli 69.66
17. Bas van Steenbergen 68.66
18. Ryan Howard 67.66