Winter Wheelin

[xjc]

Due to the cold temperatures lately I am thinking more and more lately about winter wheelin. I know that last year I spent allot of time goofing around up in the foot hills above north ogden. As you might immagine, you can only do the same two miles of trail so many times before you start wishing you has somewhere else to go.

Here is my question:

What does everyone do durring the winter?

Moth ball the rig and ski?
head south?
doughnuts in the church parking lot after a good snow?
Matt tracks

What are some good times you have had in the snow months?
(how late in the year is Moab Wheelable usually)

 

[Shawn]

Ceader Hollow,
Wolf Creek Pass,

 

[Greg]

Who says wheelin has to stop in the winter? Some of my most exciting moments have been due to Snow wheelin. I have had my truck in 4'+ deep snow......Just be sure you have a few rigs with you because 'stucks' can get real messy. Oh, and being very prepared in snow will always payoff.

I actually want to hit Moab this January and see what it's like. I wonder if Lower Helldorado is runable.......

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

Moab is doable year round St. george is very wheelable year round and there are several NEW trails there

 

[spencurai]

the fact that north ogden is more or less closed due to snotty home owners up there...winter wheeling in north ogden is out!!

some of these alternate passes sound real fun!! I will have to chat with craig down in delta to see how the trails fare during the snow times.

and this year is another EL NINO year!!!

 

[xjc]

Cool, sounds like we need a trip to moab/southern utah for the winter. It seams like winter wheeling is a little more comfortable for guys who have a good covering on the rig.

If we get one of those bonzai three foot snow storms this year, we won't need to look far to find a challenge, that would be so cool.

It seams to me that the best setup for heavy snow is wide tires with chains and locked diffs, but I have heard that some people think that thin tires are best. I guess it probably depends on the snow conditions.

One of the funnest times I have had on the snow-trail is when I went over monte cristo and crossed the snowmoble trail to hardware ranch in cache valley. This trip was made in march when there wasn't tons of snow but the trail was completely covered with snow still. That was a case when some huge wide tires would have made the trip easier.

 

[RockMonkey]

The trick to snow wheel'n is chains. They double or triple your traction in the snow. Anybody have a set that'll fit 38s? Many areas of the state are wheelable year round. Best trail I've ever run in the snow and ice was Chainsaw, in Delta. Most of the waterfalls were covered with a few inches of ice.

 

[xjc]

Ice wheelin, Now thats some slick--rock

 

[84 4Runner]

Winter wheelin' is great fun...provided you have more than two vehicles! There's nothing worse than getting two trucks stuck at the same time with no winches!

Hey Tracy: Can you give us some more info on the new trails in St. George?

 

[xjc]

Yea, there is no stuck like snow stuck!

I remember last year when I was wheelin with spencuai up in northogden in his sami when we found a burban half fallen in a deep washout. Poor guy was just looking at it scratching his head trying to figure out some way to avoid the long walk into town.

Just to be nice we tried to pull him out with the sami but <2000lb vs >6000lb wasn't happening, the sami was having a hard time getting around without being teathered to a land barge.

by some bizare coinsidence, another sami came up and we flaged him down, he happened to have his uncles cable come-along, I am not sure but his uncle must work for the military or a trucking company or something, because the back of the sami went up about two inches when he pulled this enourmouse thing out. That was one monster puller. We snatched the landbarge out the hole pretty quick and resolved to never to get ourselves in that situation.

(it took me six months but I did get a comeallong of my own. I still don't have a pull pall or a the real rig snatcher, a winch)

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

Originally posted by 84 4Runner
Winter wheelin' is great fun...provided you have more than two vehicles! There's nothing worse than getting two trucks stuck at the same time with no winches!

Hey Tracy: Can you give us some more info on the new trails in St. George?

I don't know all the details yet. I grew up there and still have a ton of freinds down there and they where telling me about them a couple of weeks ago. I guess there are 4 to 6 that are 5 plus I know one of them(rattlesnake gulch) has 4 to 5 foot deep water crossings, It sounds like hellderados with water. Anyway I'm going down over christmas and hope to run several of them They sound killer