Red Bull Hardline, the toughest downhill MTB event on the planet, is gearing up for a bold new chapter with the announcement of Red Bull Hardline British Columbia. Set to take place on October 17th 2026, Red Bull Hardline BC will bring the world’s toughest downhill race format to Cypress Mountain, located just north of Vancouver.
Now, with Red Bull Hardline BC set on Cypress Mountain, the event brings that same uncompromising spirit to a new stage. Expect steep descents, massive features, and a dramatic West Coast backdrop as riders push the boundaries of what’s possible – this time, on Canadian soil.
Here is all you need to know:
Since its creation by Dan Atherton in Wales in 2014, Red Bull Hardline has built a reputation as the ultimate proving ground in downhill mountain biking – blending top-level speed with freeride‑style ingenuity on some of the toughest terrain in the sport. Over the past decade, it has redefined what’s possible on two wheels and inspired awe across the global MTB community.
– As with all Red Bull Hardlines events, BC will feature a select roster of elite downhill and freeride athletes from across the globe – each invited to take on a course that combines high‑speed sections, massive jumps, and natural technical features. This time, those will be carved into the mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore, often hailed as one of birthplaces of freeride MTB.
The Red Bull Hardline BC course is designed by founder Dan Atherton and Gee Atherton, and built in close collaboration by an experienced team of trail builders and riders, ensuring the technical legacy of Red Bull Hardline is carried into a completely new landscape.
“When you think of Red Bull Hardline in British Columbia, everyone has their own vision of how it should be. So, the bar is set so high in everyone’s expectations.
When you think of BC riding, you think of huge rocks slabs, massive trees, amazing dirt, kind of first generation growth – so to find a location that ticked all those boxes was insanely difficult and luckily we had local riders like Jackson there on the ground and even then it took two years of searching to finally find a location. The guys did amazingly and it’s going to be pretty special”, states Dan Atherton.
Features will include e.g. massive jumps and gaps, steep drops of +10m, ‘rock gardens’, and steep descents. “After walking the future Red Bull Hardline track, I’m pretty intimidated but excited, I think this will be the best one yet” says BC native Gracey Hemstreet. “Everyone’s going to be so stoked, and the crowd is going to be huge. Bringing Red Bull Hardline to Canada is something everyone has wanted, and it’s super exciting it’s finally happening.”
For Jackson Goldstone, it will also be a special moment to see one of his all-time favorite events take place in his backyard. “It’s going to be crazy to have the ‘full circle moment’ of coming back to race a massive event at home, as we haven’t really had that before. To have Red Bull Hardline coming to our hometown is going to be a big milestone.”
“I’m excited to see how the track build comes together. We’ve got tons of jumps and obviously ‘millions of downhill trails around BC so to have something that’s best of both worlds – technical & freeride – coming together in our zone is going to be pretty mind-blowing. It will be cool to see the views too, and how the terrain links up to the track, overlooking the ocean and downtown Vancouver.
While Red Bull Hardline British Columbia will make its debut in 2026, Red Bull Hardline Wales will return in 2027 with a completely new track, continuing the event’s evolution and building on more than a decade of progression.
The combination of Cypress Mountain’s terrain and Canadian mountain biking heritage promises to deliver one of the most spectacular editions of Red Bull Hardline to date.
Red Bull Hardline BC will be broadcasted live on Red Bull TV and Red Bull Bike YouTube channel on Saturday 17th October.
A Little More Info About the Event
Speaking to Jeremy Wentzel, Operations Manager of Cypress Mountain, we learned that the course was to be built by Joyride Bike Bike Parks, led by Paddy Kaye and Justin Wyper (a winner of NSMB.com’s AIRprentice). Right now there is snow where the course will be built on Mt. Strachen so it will be some time before anything starts to take shape.
There will be spectators of course, with a large area at the finish corral and another higher up on the course. The top of the course won’t be open to spectators however. Details are being worked out about buses and parking