For several years, I worked in off-road product development at Jeep in Auburn Hills, Michigan. I’m a gearhead/engineering guy who’d been off-roading as a hobby forever and it was the best job I could have dreamed of! I got to do all kinds of cool stuff like write high-performance desert driving test procedures, travel around the country testing Jeep vehicles to their limit and work alongside the most fun and dedicated people in the auto industry. In between development trips and the hard work of sitting at a desk, I was a driving instructor at the proving grounds and routinely got to do something very special: Teach colleagues from all over the world how to drive off-road. 

Driving off-road is fun, rewarding and once you learn it, you’re hooked! I once taught a few co-workers who had just moved to the US from India how to drive a brand new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon over some pretty gnarly terrain. They were grinning ear to ear and were amazed at what the Jeep could do, especially, they added, while being driven by someone who’d never even had a drivers license! Teaching is really fun and rewarding to me, and I’d love to spend a day with you going over the basics in vehicle control, safety, driving techniques and proper recovery so that you can confidently navigate the backcountry roads in our beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Whether you own a Subaru Crosstrek or a modified Toyota Tacoma, this course will teach you how to assess the capability of ANY vehicle you may find yourself in, overcome intimidating obstacles typically found on unimproved Forest Service roads and show you how to recover your vehicle safely if you do happen to get stuck out there. All in all, you’ll spend far less than the cost of an insurance deductible or inconvenient tow, have some fun, and learn something new.

Course Rundown: 

9am-10am: Introductions & Getting to Know Your Vehicle 

(Bivouac coffee and Edelweiss pastries provided)

• Your goals
• Your vehicle: What it’s designed to do and not do
• Geometry, tires, tow points and things that cannot get wet
• Course booklet: Various vehicle design types & how they differ

10am-11am: Safety

• Be Smart, Think, Trust, Act
• Recon is the best insurance policy
• Navigation & trip reports
• Emergency Resources
• Recovery (More later)

11am-12pm: The Do’s and Don’ts of Off-Roading

• Driving techniques
• Obstacles
• Spotting techniques
• Driving for durability

12pm-1pm: Lunch & Casual Discussion

1pm-2pm: Obstacle Challenges w/ Mock Rocks!

• Off-camber advantage
• Paths of least resistance
• Spatial awareness

2pm-3pm: Recovery Techniques

• Tow Points
• “The Yank”
• Tow straps and dynamic recovery ropes
• Traction Aids

3pm-6pm: Trail Ride to Overlook, Choose Your Own Adventure!

• There are many different ways to get to our hangout spot
• Debrief
• Spotting