While it's somewhat ignominious...
While it's somewhat ignominious to be stuck, the real trick is to explain this type of recovery. The backhoe method is a quick and painless way of retrieving one's stuck or broken toy from the rocks.
"Na Hampsha"-It's not just mud and woods anymore. That's right, New Hampshire has rocks and plenty of them. In fact, New Hampshire is known as the Granite State and is home to some really wicked fun. Wheelers in this state usually trail along New Hampshire Class VI roads, or private property with permission. But when it comes to the Deep Woods Extreme rockcrawling competition, it's an event!
The Southern New Hampshire club works with landowners and promotes responsible wheeling. It held the Deep Woods Extreme 7th annual Rockcrawling Competition and 4WD Truck Show at Hopkinton State Fair Grounds in Contoocook last summer. Sponsorship was by Town Fair Tire and Toyo Tires, while Land Site, Henniker Crushed Stone, and Francestown Sand & Gravel all pitched in to build the course. Over 200 participants and 800 spectators attended the event, and competitors came from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.
Big Boggers on little Jeeps...
Big Boggers on little Jeeps don't always guarantee that you won't get stuck. With a Warn 8274 winch mounted on the front, we bet this ride made it through the course faster than others that were hopping and flopping.
The rockcrawl had two classes, Modified and Unlimited. There was plenty of carnage, whether it was rigs dumped on their side by the rock course or rigs flying through the air strapped to an excavator. Everyone put on a great show, as some competitors walked through the course while others had to work for it, all the while keeping under the 20-minute time limit and staying within the cones. Bonus points were up for grabs, and there were clear winners in each class.
The Mass Mudders Four Wheel and Off Road Club put on an RTI (ramp travel index) competition to entice the wheelers, while the show-and-shine vehicles were being judged out of harm's way. This was clearly a family event with lots of activities for the kids too, so mark this rockcrawling event on your calendar for next summer. You can contact the club at www.deepwoodsextreme.com and the RTI guys at www.massmudders.com for more information.
We can see why this CJ-7 made...
We can see why this CJ-7 made it to the end of the course-don't worry about dents, and make it wheel! Drop-offs like this are common in the real wheeling world, so the course designers made it just as difficult, if not more.
Since it is a competition,...
Since it is a competition, the Deep Woods Extreme club mandates helmets. While fairly stock-looking, this Toy truck is fitted with Longfield axles and a Marlin Crawler-which is what it takes to tackle boulders the size of your tires.
Of course, a winch is another...
Of course, a winch is another retrieval method when your Jeep is on its side. We still can't figure out how a lightweight XJ could go over with the weight of massive 1-ton axles underneath. Is gravity different in the northeast?