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 ov …

By stwhannah

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Red Bull banned from Welsh mansion after Hardline damage

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

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.”

probably seems like harmless fun

Nope.

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.

Shocking stuff.

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

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

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

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).

Have them back but triple the deposit?

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.

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.

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?

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?

“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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Rule 1.

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.

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.

“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

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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😂

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.

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.

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.

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

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’

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.

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.

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.

“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.