Red Bull Cascade Finish Area Photo: Powhub
Cover Image: Mackenzie Tharp by Mason Cameron /Red Bull Content Pool
This past weekend, March 27th-29th 2025, the third edition of Bobby Brown’s Red Bull Cascade was held just off the Sunrise Lift at Utah’s Solitude Mountain Resort and we were pumped to be there to witness this one in person. The mile-long course featured a mix of all-mountain natural elements & terrain park features designed by Bobby & legendary park builder Charles Beckinsale; built & maintained by some of the industry’s finest builders & shapers. This wide array of features tested the ability & creativity of a stacked roster of athletes with diverse ski backgrounds from around the world; personally invited by Bobby. This year’s event was set up in a teams format with four teams of five skiers who competed in an elimination-style competition.
“Red Bull Cascade started as a sketch and idea on paper, and now we’re in year three. It’s amazing to see what we’ve built and how we get to progress the sport forward,” said event visionary Bobby Brown. “During the first run, the course was really fast, so everyone had a chance to put down an amazing run.”
In the three days of this event, we saw weather ranging from 55 & sunny (warm enough to put the course on hold for several hours during Thursday’s practice laps) to colder weather allowing for faster runs the morning of finals day to heavy snowfall with low vis which ultimately forced the organizers to call the event early, just after the semis. The finals were determined by the two finalist’s cumulative group scores from their semi-finals run and Team 1738, consisting of Cody LaPlante, Hans Wiener, Jed Waters, Josie Petersen & Ryan Buttars, took the win.
“I’m super stoked that our team took home the final prize. We all laced up and everyone landed their runs, which was essential,” said athlete Josie Peterson, who was the captain of the winning team. “Even though it was just semi scores, I’m still excited because our team skied awesome. It was so fun to experience the energy here.”
Interview with Hans Weiner From Winning Team 1738
Powhub: How’d it feel competing in Cascade and taking home the W?
Hans: Really fun few days. It’s sick to take home the W. Unfortunately the weather came in and had some alternative plans but everyone threw down in semis so there was a clear and decisive victory. We’ll just have to run it back next year.
Final Contest Results
1st Place: Team 1738 – 189.3 points
● Cody LaPlante, Hans Wiener, Jed Waters, Josie Petersen & Ryan Buttars
2nd Place: Team No Speed Checks – 177.6
● Aaron Blunck, Drew Hooker, Luke Price, Ryan McElmon & Robert Ruud
3rd Place: Team High Cascade – 172.9
● Birk Irving, Dylan Siggers, Maude Raymond, Tanner Blakely & Tristan Feinberg
4th Place: Team The Offspring
● Bella Bacon, Benni Solomon, Liam Baxter, Evan Wischmeyer, & Blake Wilson
Team ‘No Speed Checks’ member Luke Price was warded the rider-voted Maverik Adventure Award which was given to the athlete that ‘encapsulated the essence of Red Bull Cascade’
Luke was stoked and stated, “I’m just so grateful and it’s gonna motivate me to keep skiing and be the best person I can. Just being here, being present and being with these people is what got me there. I’m excited to continue the adventure with Maverik and my snowmobile.”
Luke Price receiving the Maverik Adventure Award Photo: Powhub
Interview with Red Bull Athlete Birk Irving
Powhub: How do you prepare for an event like this that’s not true park or freeride?
Birk: Pretty open-minded. I try to just do a whole bunch of different stuff, like the whole idea behind this event is creativity and trying to take a different way to get down the course, so I’ve been trying to find stuff people aren’t hitting. We’re all talking with our team trying to get everyone to hit different things so we have a nice spread amongst our team. I think it’s more of a fun preparation than an anxious, scary, icy halfpipe preparation.
Powhub: Speaking of a nice spread of features, what’s one of your favorites that you’re eying up?
Birk: I really like the middle section. There’s this step-down into what they call the ‘twisted sister’ which is like a straight jump and also a shark-fin-hip style. And then there’s a gap jump and I’ve been going off the lip of it into the gulley section and I have a couple fun hits through there. That whole section is pretty fun.
Powhub: What are three words to describe this course?
Birk: Technical, flowy, long/exhausting
Powhub: Where do you thrive usually, park or the all-mountain hits?
Birk: Halfpipe, but I do a bit of backcountry filming as well so this is a nice mix.
Photos
ABOUT RED BULL CASCADE
“From the mind of ski icon Bobby Brown, Red Bull Cascade was designed to challenge every discipline of skier to crown the best all-around competitor and define the next chapter of the freeski contest. From backcountry pros to Olympians to hometown shredders, the event will bring together skiers from around the world, where they’ll map out and film their top-to-bottom run for a panel of judges.”
“Bobby created Red Bull Cascade after recognizing a gap in today’s ski competitions. He spent most of his life pushing the envelope with technical tricks in slopestyle and big air, but transitioning to film segments and backcountry riding opened his eyes to the creativity and progression that can come out of a totally blank slate. Sensing a gap between the contest circuit and backcountry riding, he dreamed of a format that could blend both styles and find the best all-around skier. The three-day event, consisting of one practice day and two contest days, brought out the best male and female skiers to compete on a unique course that blends natural elements with manmade features.”
