Enthusiast II
I attended a two-day off road training course this past weekend held by Backroad 4WD. They're an I4WTA Certified Training organization based in Washington State. It was an intensive class, covering the basics of how 4WD and AWD vehicles work, followed by getting down on the ground and identifying the pertinent parts of the powertrain and suspension as well as vulnerable areas. I learned that some things about my truck that had been done by the previous owner either could have been done better, or weren't done with an eye to off-road use. Nothing really bad, but there are some things that I should address soon. For example, the previous owner put a lift on but didn't replace the upper control arms. This means my truck can't be truly aligned properly as the stock UCAs don't work well with the lift. The previous owner also put larger tires on and I don't have enough offset, so I need to address that. These guys aren't selling services other than training, so it was an unbiased assessment.
For the driving portion, we started out with a cone course in a grass field, learning how to spot and follow spotter's directions in a no-risk environment. After that, we moved on to some easy obstacles - rock gardens, some ditches, trees, traversing slopes, etc. The latter half of the day involved more intermediate type things like a deep ditch where there was a close tree on the exit and a "mogul" course that was a great way to learn the different settings on my truck and a great demonstration of how traction control works in those situations. Day two was comprised of three obstacles. I could only do two of the three as the steps and bump step on my truck would have been an issue and I don't have rocksliders or much armor beneath as well as stock bumpers - that was a true boulder field. The two I took part in were great - a steep downhill descent (not straight) with rocks and trees to navigate with the help of the instructor spotting me, a stream crossing with a soft bank of long grass, and a steep uphill comprised of loose rock and a couple of really large boulders we needed to avoid. The uphill was the most challenging thing. I failed the first attempt - I didn't have enough momentum - but made it the second time.
Other than the last day, where the obstacles were the most challenging, we would spot each other with the instructor right there to observe and correct when necessary.
The most valuable things I took away from this class were learning how to spot (that taught me a lot about how to pick my own lines when I don't have a spotter); how to know where the vulnerable parts of my vehicle are from my seat in the truck; and how to use the terrain to my advantage. Having never been off road, this was so important to me. My classmates were varied in experience - two of us were total newbies, one had some experience, and the other was quite experienced with a fully built out expedition rig (this wasn't his first time in the class - he enjoys coming and always gets something out of it).
If you're new to off roading - or even if you're not but want to polish up the skills you already have - I can't recommend this enough. I never once felt like I was being asked to do anything my truck absolutely couldn't do and it was consistently made clear that if I was uncomfortable, I could opt out of an obstacle. I felt entirely safe and taken care of. I met great people and had a great experience. I believe they might be at the Northwest Overland Rally, so if you're attending that, you might meet them there.
For the driving portion, we started out with a cone course in a grass field, learning how to spot and follow spotter's directions in a no-risk environment. After that, we moved on to some easy obstacles - rock gardens, some ditches, trees, traversing slopes, etc. The latter half of the day involved more intermediate type things like a deep ditch where there was a close tree on the exit and a "mogul" course that was a great way to learn the different settings on my truck and a great demonstration of how traction control works in those situations. Day two was comprised of three obstacles. I could only do two of the three as the steps and bump step on my truck would have been an issue and I don't have rocksliders or much armor beneath as well as stock bumpers - that was a true boulder field. The two I took part in were great - a steep downhill descent (not straight) with rocks and trees to navigate with the help of the instructor spotting me, a stream crossing with a soft bank of long grass, and a steep uphill comprised of loose rock and a couple of really large boulders we needed to avoid. The uphill was the most challenging thing. I failed the first attempt - I didn't have enough momentum - but made it the second time.
Other than the last day, where the obstacles were the most challenging, we would spot each other with the instructor right there to observe and correct when necessary.
The most valuable things I took away from this class were learning how to spot (that taught me a lot about how to pick my own lines when I don't have a spotter); how to know where the vulnerable parts of my vehicle are from my seat in the truck; and how to use the terrain to my advantage. Having never been off road, this was so important to me. My classmates were varied in experience - two of us were total newbies, one had some experience, and the other was quite experienced with a fully built out expedition rig (this wasn't his first time in the class - he enjoys coming and always gets something out of it).
If you're new to off roading - or even if you're not but want to polish up the skills you already have - I can't recommend this enough. I never once felt like I was being asked to do anything my truck absolutely couldn't do and it was consistently made clear that if I was uncomfortable, I could opt out of an obstacle. I felt entirely safe and taken care of. I met great people and had a great experience. I believe they might be at the Northwest Overland Rally, so if you're attending that, you might meet them there.
