That is how I showed up last year for my first ECXC

Took me a few trails to get used to banging up the skids and sliders but after that I was good to go.

Didn't end up hitting Yellow jacket last year but hit it this year with Bobby. Very fun trail

You will do great in the intermediate run. We have good group of spotters to help us thru the tricky stuff or there will be bypasses around them if you are not that comfy with a particular spot.

See you there

Agreed... it's the banging at first that can un-nerve you on some of the trails. But, once you get a feel for what goes where, you'll do fine. We'll spot you through the stuff that'll have a little more pucker factor for you.

i def want to be challenged not board i would rather get stuck!!!

HEHEHEHE We can manage that..

Strange no one volunteered..... ok, I will.

Also, I'm Still looking for a challenge partner, if you feel up to it.

Side note: I don't have a winch... and you do, i think, so that fills that requirement.

Hey guys wanna see what you guys think i should run with my truck.

i plan on leaving early friday and wheeling friday/saturday.

mods on the truck are 3" SL, 33" BFG m/ts, shrock sliders, shrock front bumper....

havent had a chance to get any skids yet, so i know thats going to set me back...

this is going to be my first ecxc and first real wheeling trip.

i plan on running stockers, and then maybe something a little more challenging. i want to learn about offroading not just spend money and drive and not care. watcha guys think?

I have the same setup (lift, tires, bumper[TJM]) as you but I have the skids also. I am planning on most likely doing the intermediate trail and maybe trying advanced. Ill just have to see when I get there.

Depending on rocks that?s how I would make my decision for you. If it isn?t too rocky I would try it without skids but if there is rocks and large ones I wouldn?t because the skids would def save your butt and you don?t want to break anything under the truck by coming down really hard on a rock...

Just from my experience the skids give you alot of piece at mind when you come down hard on a rock. So i would just make your decision once you get there and possibly walk a trail or talk to the others that have gone on the trail before you try it.

Vinny,
I think the first day you should try the stock trail run to get used to picking lines and following the truck in front of you (if he picks a good line).
Then the second day you could always step it up, or keep it mellow with Stock trails.
Nothing wrong with dominating stock trails until you're comfortable with rockcrawling.

IIRC most of the easier trails have optional more difficult obstacles to keep it interesting. So you might want to give those a shot if you get bored.

I'm taking it easy with my wheeling on saturday.
Probably just doing intermediate or advanced or something.
Haven't wheeled in a long time and I'd like to be able to drive my already beaten truck home.

I second Ken's suggestion of starting on stock trails just to get a feel for the park, your truck, and picking lines. Some of the green trails have optional rock gardens you can play in if you want. Also, you can purposely take some bad lines on stock trails for additional fun.

Keep in mind that most of the intermediate trails have rocky areas. So if you don't have skids and sliders, and are concerned about a chance for minor damage, start with the easy stuff to get a feel for playing on the rocks. That being said, I will add that after I got to know the terrain, my truck, and my limits, I did run a number of the lighter blues with just sliders and no skids.

Unless I volunteer to lead a stock group on the first day, I am looking to run mostly blues. If I am not having any issues with the truck, I might be up for some of the "purples" or lighter blacks by the end of the event.

k_enn

Well i dont know what i'm going to do. I dont know about any of the trail since this will be my first time. Not sure what i'll be doing each day, i guess i'll just play it by ear.


I dont want to get in over my head on some of the trails. I feel confident enough to hit some good trails. but i'm just worried about skids... booo.

When was the last time you were at Rausch Ken? Years, right?

Wheeling, ECXC 2004.
Passenger for XFF2 in Brandon's truck.
I miss it.
I miss Paragon too.

Wow! I thought it was a long time but not that long, Rausch will be unrecognizable. It will be like going to a brand new place for you.
Yeah I really miss Paragon, at least we have the memories. Some folks here never got the chance to wheel there.

Yep, pretty long time.
Those UNYX runs were a blast though, so I wasn't totally falling off the face of the earth.
Just on the pay to play wheeling parks.

Based on the pix Rausch looks tremendous now.
Should be an awesome time.

Since we're going to start out on the easier trails, we should be able to keep you and the others out of trouble. Then, it's just a matter of getting used to the trails and you'll be up to speed.

I'm going to try to either tail-gun or take a mid-line position so that I can help out as many people as I can on the days we wheel together.

As long as I can do snakebite again - including the dip - I'll be happy. The rest will be gravy.