Red Bull banned from Welsh mansion after Hardline damage

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It’s been reported that Red Bull has been blocked from renting its usual accommodation of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch in Wales, due to excessive damage caused over the past two years.

Plas Tan-y-Bwlch is part of the Snowdonia National Park, and offers accommodation, an education centre, as well as being the hub for some environmental projects. It’s clear from National Park Authority minutes that the running costs of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch are an ongoing concern, so this loss of a regular income will surely be missed.

After an apparently lengthy discussion in a committee meeting about the financial impact of withdrawing from the agreement with Red Bull, it has been determined that Red Bull will not be able to rent the property again this year.

Red Bull Hardline will take place on 15 & 16th July this year. Credit: Red Bull

It’s reported that damage included the need to refill a number of fire extinguishers – which sounds very party-esque and probably seems like harmless fun unless you actually then need to deploy them to put out a fire.

Given the Red Bull Hardline event was held under the Trash Free Trails Approved environment impact reduction scheme, creating the need for a bunch of extra cleaning and fire extinguisher refills doesn’t seem quite in keeping with those goals. In addition, it’s not doing a lot for the good name of the mountain bike community – just when we’re hoping the Welsh government might be about to expand land access rights.

Or, is it just riders blowing off steam after an intense day out on the hill where they’re risking themselves for our entertainment, and we should let them party?

We’ve asked Red Bull representatives for comment.

While you’re here…

Red Bull Hardline Gets Summer Date for 2023 – tickets on sale now!
RedBull Hardline – Bigger In Real Life, But Is It Worth The Effort?
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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 59 total)
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  • Red Bull banned from Welsh mansion after Hardline damage
  • lister
    Full Member

    Rule 1 innit? Of course you can have a party but don’t be a dick.

    Posted 2 months ago
    Olly
    Free Member

    which sounds very party-esque and probably seems like harmless fun unless you actually then need to deploy them to put out a fire.

    and is a criminal offence:

    “Under Section 8 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, it is illegal to “intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse” any of the fire safety equipment provided, including fire extinguishers, fire alarms, fire blankets and fire exits.”

    Posted 2 months ago
    IHN
    Full Member

    probably seems like harmless fun

    Nope.

    Posted 2 months ago
    ossify
    Full Member

    Wonder why they don’t simply charge Red Bull for the damage.

    Need more damage details! Refilling fire extinguishers? Tut tut and all but really… it’s not like they’re destroying heritage property.

    Posted 2 months ago
    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    Shocking stuff.

    Posted 2 months ago
    stwhannah
    Full Member

    @ossify according to the linked report, they did lose their deposit of £5k

    Posted 2 months ago
    kelvin
    Full Member

    Wonder why they don’t simply charge Red Bull for the damage.

    Charge them… and then don’t ask them back. Why would you?

    Posted 2 months ago
    frogstomp
    Full Member

    Wonder why they don’t simply charge Red Bull for the damage.

    The other article I read said Red Bull has forfeited its (£5000) deposit and paid for repairs. That doesn’t mean you’d want them back though (as above, see rule 1).

    Posted 2 months ago
    Del
    Full Member

    Have them back but triple the deposit?

    Posted 2 months ago
    Sandwich
    Full Member

    it’s not like they’re destroying heritage property.

    No they aren’t but they are leaving it vulnerable without it’s fire protection equipment and possibly uninsured too.

    I don’t know if anyone has tried to clean up an internet space after a powder extinguisher has been discharged, it’s not a barrel of laughs.

    Posted 2 months ago
    dangeourbrain
    Full Member

    Need more damage details! Refilling fire extinguishers? Tut tut and all but really…

    Ever seen the mess they make when discharged indoors? Powder ones are a pita to clean up after but at least it does clean up. Water and foam ones can do a lot of damage to furnishings and the like. (as can the powder if it gets into things like plug sockets, air vents etc)

    it’s not like they’re destroying heritage property

    Doesn’t matter if its heritage or a 70s eyesore, it’s not theirs and they’re damaging it for fun.

    Posted 2 months ago
    mashr
    Full Member

    Del
    Full Member
    Have them back but triple the deposit?

    And potentially piss off how many other customers that could be coming along after Red Bull and before you’ve had the chance to sort the place?

    Posted 2 months ago
    martinhutch
    Full Member

    I don’t know if anyone has tried to clean up an internet space

    The mods tried it once. 🙂

    Seems fair enough, the report suggests they’ve caused issues in previous years, so if anything they’ve been overindulged.

    Or, is it just riders blowing off steam after an intense day out on the hill where they’re risking themselves for our entertainment, and we should let them party?

    Not really a ‘see-both-sides’ story, is it?

    Posted 2 months ago
    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    “is it just riders blowing off steam after an intense day out on the hill where they’re risking themselves for our entertainment”

    1. I’d argue that they’re doing it for entertainment. I suspect there’s a nice pay check at the end of it for the winner and these people are racers.
    2. After an intense day at work, there’s nothing I enjoy more than messing the house up, deploying fire extinguishers and acting like a dick.

    Posted 2 months ago
    jam-bo
    Full Member

    hotel rooms getting trashed seemed to be a staple of sprung/earthed videos. looks like nothing much has changed…

    Posted 2 months ago
    chakaping
    Free Member

    If the half-news, half-opinion, fully-on-the-fence style of the STW article drives you up the wall, just click through to the local news site linked in the first line.

    Anyway, tough shit to Red Bull, but Snowdonia NPA famously hates MTBers anyway so I bet they were frothing at the chance to make a fuss about this.

    Posted 2 months ago
    BruceWee
    Full Member

    If the half-news, half-opinion, fully-on-the-fence style of the STW article drives you up the wall, just click through to the local news site linked in the first line.

    I read through the comments expecting some entertainment value but they were oddly subdued.

    Until someone started blaming immigrants and asylum seekers, of course.

    Posted 2 months ago
    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Adrenaline plus a sugar+caffiene drink on tap. What could possibly go wrong?

    Posted 2 months ago
    dyna-ti
    Full Member

    Effectively the park and surrounding area will lose out from the income everybody brings to it.
    Back to Fort Bill.

    Posted 2 months ago
    mashr
    Full Member

    They’ve banned them from the mansion, not from holding the event

    Posted 2 months ago
    mrlebowski
    Free Member

    Rule 1.

    Posted 2 months ago
    jamesoz
    Full Member

    Effectively the park and surrounding area will lose out from the income everybody brings to it.
    Back to Fort Bill

    I suspect the lovely couple whose Hill the course is on, won’t be turning the event away. They’ll just have to sort alternative accommodation/camping.

    Posted 2 months ago
    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    Effectively the park and surrounding area will lose out from the income everybody brings to it.
    Back to Fort Bill.

    Snowdonia NP is packed most weekends, doubt they’ll miss the income from one event if the resulting hassles cost money and put off other paying customers from coming back.

    I’m not sure quite so many people would pop up to Fort William as would mooch across to Wales for the weekend.

    Posted 2 months ago
    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    “is it just riders blowing off steam after an intense day out on the hill where they’re risking themselves for our entertainment

    I’ve stayed with MTB beds a few times. I asked them once about their worst guest experience.

    Bernard Kerr and his entourage apparently. They said it’s the closest they’ve came to kicking anyone out part way through their stay. Absolute carnage.

    Not saying it was Bernard etc in this incident, but pro riders acting like dicks isn’t an isolated incident

    Posted 2 months ago
    thisisnotaspoon
    Full Member

    Effectively the park and surrounding area will lose out from the income everybody brings to it.
    Back to Fort Bill.

    It’s never been at Ft William.

    It’s an event specifically designed to be the exact opposite of relatively bland UCI tracks* designed to let the 80th place junior qualifier get down in once piece by restricting it to a handful of competitors by invitation. That’s why it’s out of the main season.

    *at the time it started

    Posted 2 months ago
    TheBrick
    Free Member

    I’ve acted poorly when over excited with mates / drunk / whatever else so I am not going to look down on whoever did it but at the same time the hotel will want to protect their asset so I don’t think they have been unreasonable either.

    Posted 2 months ago
    stevextc
    Free Member

    BoardinBob

    Not saying it was Bernard etc in this incident, but pro riders acting like dicks isn’t an isolated incident

    To be fair no-one that does hardline is all there. Anyone that gets back on the bike after that crash is absolutely nuts.
    TBH I did say that to him and he just smiled and shrugged.

    He’s often selling vehicles locally .. would you buy a “one careful owner vehicle” off him?

    Posted 2 months ago
    rockhopper70
    Free Member

    We went last year and stayed at the Royal Ship in Dolgellau. There was a few Red-Bull branded people in the dining room in the morning, along with an older couple wearing wristbands, who turned out to be Bernard Kerr’s (I assume) parents as we saw them again in his paddock. I think, I may be wrong, but the hotel wasn’t minded to welcome the riders after a few run-ins previously. I think, or maybe I’m imagining that conversation, with the reception lad. Apologies to the riders if I have mis-represented them. It’ll be time to get booked in somewhere sharpish though as accommodation may now be a bit thin on the ground.

    Posted 2 months ago
    chevychase
    Full Member

    It’s totally Rule 1.

    But the national park is missing a trick. Double the deposit and have a clause saying any damage is a full deposit forefit – including any of the fire extinguishers getting used.

    But yeah. Dicks.

    Posted 2 months ago
    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    He’s often selling vehicles locally .. would you buy a “one careful owner vehicle” off him?

    My mate bought some forks off him on Pinkbike. Bernard promised him they’d been professionally looked after. They were absolutely shagged😂

    Posted 2 months ago
    thisisnotaspoon
    Full Member

    But the national park is missing a trick. Double the deposit and have a clause saying any damage is a full deposit forefit – including any of the fire extinguishers getting used.

    But then that doesn’t solve the problem for other guests, presumably the rest of the year it’s school trips etc.

    Even if you say they have to book it out for an entire month afterwards that might work for a hotel business, but that’s going against their aims as a (presumably) charitable organization, or at least an organization with more socially minded aims than purely making money.

    Posted 2 months ago
    joshvegas
    Free Member

    it’s not like they’re destroying heritag property

    Ever been in a fire? I have and while didn’t need to use a fire extinguisher and infact sat drinking tea in my closed flat while they were lifting neighbours out windows and treating facial burns the thought of it does occasionally get me a bit ansy. The thought of a fire extinguisher not being there in a situation where I need it to get out… That’s making me squirm.

    Dicking about with safety stuff, extinguishers, life rings and throw lines etc bakes you a full blown **** in my book. Red bull should be one striking and out and expecting community engagement for these people who should be role models.

    Posted 2 months ago
    bikesandboots
    Full Member

    Unsurprising really. Amongst outdoor sports, mountain biking probably has more than its fair share of aresholes, and especially so in this facet of it. And there’s a general correlation with personal attributes (competitiveness etc.) needed to be a top sportsperson (and/or influencer) and being an arsehole.

    Posted 2 months ago
    somafunk
    Full Member

    I grew out of discharging fire extinguishers whilst in 3rd year, seems a dick move to continue to do so when an adult

    Posted 2 months ago
    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Effectively the park and surrounding area will lose out from the income everybody brings to it.
    Back to Fort Bill.

    The accommodation  is miles from the race venue, but then again there probably isn’t many hotels of a similar size nearer to the race site . They don’t camp in a field! And Fort Bill couldn’t begin to host a similar event, the hills are not comparable ie Fort Bill is a far less steep hill. Rather than putting the riders up in one hotel it will prob be multiple smaller hotels in future

    They wouldn’t have been able to open the venue again until all cleaned up and the extinguishers replaced

    Dicks are dicks, no excuses

    A lot of mtb pro’s were dicks during the pandemic too. One named above thought he was ok to walk in to our local petrol station without wearing a mask when everyone else had to. Yes they might certainly be very ‘special’

    Posted 2 months ago
    bentudder
    Full Member

    From the minutes:

    In response to a question, The Director of Corporate Services confirmed that
    Red Bull had accepted responsibility for the damage caused but had not paid
    for the damage to date    .

    – A member asked whether Plas staff were present during their stay. The
    Director of Corporate Services informed the Board that Red Bull took the
    building over during their stay and Plas staff were present during the day but
    weren’t comfortable to stay overnight    .

    – Members discussed alternative income sources and whether holding more
    weddings was an option to produce additional income and promote Plas. The
    Director of Corporate Services advised that it would be difficult to find an
    income source to match the income made from Red Bull    .

    Classy, Red Bull. Very classy.

    Posted 2 months ago
    convert
    Full Member

    It’s as much the faff and stress as it is the financial side. Places like this won’t be set up with staff with copious spare hours to sort out unexpected damage at the drop of the hat. Or trades ready to swoop in the sort stuff out. A different scale but our little holiday let very occasionally gets what is obviously careless damage done and it’s stressful getting it sorted and also demoralising. We’re not a big chain that can close a room and rearrange or cancel a booking so the damage can be sorted and swallow the compensation and loss of income. As an employee or an owner someone else deliberately damaging something you care for and take pride in can really get to you, regardless of financial compensation.

    People who willfully damage (either deliberately with malice or thoughtlessly with inevitable consequences) to temporary accomodation can queue up to get in the sea right behind people who litter.

    Posted 2 months ago
    DickBarton
    Full Member

    It is bad form…but this is the kind of stuff that doesn’t tend to get mentioned in ‘mainstream’ stuff, so the impressionably people (kids) aren’t aware and if so, tend to see it as acceptable.
    It gets sad when you are at a coaching session and the kids are using bad behaviour as a reason why they think it is ok to be bad…as if it is ok as the pro riders do it.
    Absolutely winds me up…the pro riders need some sort of fine/sanction on them and ideally made pubic so people hear/see there is a consequence for being disrespectful.

    Posted 2 months ago
    daveylad
    Free Member

    “One named above thought he was ok to walk in to our local petrol station without wearing a mask when everyone else had to. Yes they might certainly be very ‘special’”

    Perhaps he had realised early on that a face nappy made no difference to the so called ‘pandemic’.
    Regardless “EXEMPT” barked at the mask Karen’s shut them up pretty quickly.

    Posted 2 months ago
    robertajobb
    Full Member

    I’d very much question whether anyone that drinks that sh+×=te-in-a-can from Red Bull is in any way classy.

    Posted 2 months ago
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