Stuck In The Snow

Recently, a young couple from Louisiana found themselves stuck in the snow in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. They were miles down a closed road and completely unprepared for the situation they were in. A series of poor choices had led them to their predicament and their experience is a great reminder of how an adventure can turn into a scary suffer fest in short order.

This young couple who are probably not old enough to buy a beer had a simple enough plan: A vehicle-based trip to see Colorado and snow for the first time. They packed what they thought was appropriate gear for winter camping, and with blind faith in their GPS, they set off to try a reach a lake nestled in a high mountain valley. Unfortunately for them, that lake happened to be miles down a closed road, where the snowpack is currently deeper than a man is tall and on the night this happened, a place where overnight lows would be recorded in negative degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s easy enough to put the pieces together on how this all went down. In the summertime, there is a Forest Service campground at this lake that shows up on Google Maps, so it’s easy to ask your phone to guide you to the campground. Yet in the winter, the FS roads that lead to this campground are groomed for use as Nordic Skiing Trails. Where the FS roads tie into roads that are plowed, the groomers will make big berms of snow with a snowcat to block access.  Yet to someone who has never seen snow, those berms could look fun to try and drive over, and a Nordic trail could look like a snowpacked road to drive on – so why not send it?  Afterall, Google says this is the way.  Given that there hasn’t been any new snow in the past few weeks, the Nordic Trails were rock solid, so once our couple had their vehicle on the trails, driving on them was no challenge at all. 

Down the trail they went. After a few miles, Google told them to take a right turn onto another road that was also groomed as a trail.  After completing this turn they could see their destination – a picturesque mountain lake in the wintertime. In the evening light, it had to look brilliant and I can only imagine their excitement from seeing their destination combined with the thrill of driving on snowpacked trails for the first time.  Yet Google’s next direction would quickly kill their vibe.

Google indicated a left turn off of the Nordic trail into undisturbed snow. Without a second’s pause, our couple followed directions and went full send right off the rock-solid Nordic trail and into deep snow. They made it almost an entire truck length before they ran out of momentum and their truck settled into the snowpack. They were stuck.

The couple caught a HUGE break in that they happened to be stuck somewhere there was cell service. Their first few calls were to local towing companies, none of which could help them out, given where they were stuck. They made more calls – it’s unclear how many, but they did call 911 at some point before they were eventually put in touch with the local Nordic association, who is responsible for grooming and maintaining the trails that the couple had driven on. The couple indicated to the Nordic association that they were planning on camping at the lake, so they were not desperate for a rescue.  Yet, the Nordic association wanted to get these folks out of their hair sooner than later (and repair all of the damage their vehicle did to the skiing trails), so a plan was made for a night recovery.  Late that night, a Nordic association snowcat arrived on scene where a number of sobering things became instantly apparent.

First, the couple was severely lacking on proper cold weather clothing and camping gear.  The female was wearing flannel cotton pajama pants and a cotton camo hoody when we arrived. Far too little insulation for temperatures that would soon be in the negative. She indicated that while waiting for us to arrive that they had setup their tent and camping gear, but were still “way too cold” even in their sleeping bags, so they sheltered in their truck while waiting for help to arrive.

Second, was that their vehicle was not very stuck. Neither of them had a clue about driving in this environment, or vehicle recovery techniques if mobility became an issue. There was no winch, nor any recovery gear onboard. Their tires were still at street pressure. They did not have a shovel, and there had subsequently been no attempt to dig any snow out from around the vehicle or behind the tires. Nothing had been used to add traction to the stuck equation. It’s as if they became stuck and their first move was to give up and call for help.

Third, they were completely blind to the signage, berms, and the other people they passed along the route who all communicated information that what they were doing was ultimately a really bad idea. I get it – if you’ve never seen snow before in your life, a Nordic trail could certainly be construed as a road surface.  I’ll give them that one, but the berms, signs, and skiers all saying NO, STOP, WTF are you doing? Those are much harder to ignore. 

The sad part is that saving stuck vehicles from Nordic Trails is something happens at least a couple of times a season.  For various reasons that all boil down to complete ignorance, people decide to drive their vehicles down Nordic Trails where they all eventually get stuck, and have to be rescued. Every single time this happens, it requires the driver of the vehicle to turn off a paved and plowed state highway, and really commit to get their vehicle over a berm or snowbank and onto a Nordic trail.

In the case of our Louisiana couple, their experience is a great example of how choices can get you into a serious bind in short order. Make no mistake about it – this couple was very lucky in that they got stuck somewhere there was cell coverage and happened to be someplace regularly visited by other folks.  But what if they became stuck somewhere where there wasn’t cell coverage or other people?

There are all sorts of what-if scenarios that we can sand table here. But rather than flesh out a thousand potentials, I’ll leave this one with a few key things that our couple could have done better or at all:

  1. Quit while you are ahead / do not over commit:  This couple went sailing right past all kinds of warning signs that a reasonable person would recognize, instead choosing to place all of their trust in where their GPS was leading them. You need to keep your head up, and constantly assess where you are, and what you’re about to drive down.  If something doesn’t look like a good idea, can you self-rescue or get back out? Are you prepared to shelter in place if you can’t get back out while you’re waiting for help to arrive?

  2. Communications: This couple got so lucky they had cell service where they became stuck. They had no other form of communication, and they didn’t have a ready answer to the question of “what would you have done if you couldn’t call for help?” So have more than one way to communicate. Radio, Satellite Communications Device, a buddy in a second vehicle, have something. Be mindful of where you last had cell service / satellite coverage / access to a repeater too.

  3. Outside help: Did anyone know where this couple was headed, or when to expect them to check in? Don’t become the next Aron Ralston. Make sure someone knows where you’re headed, and when you’ll come up for air. 911 isn’t always able to ride to the rescue at a moments notice, and SAR responses can take hours or days to find you.  Are you prepared to wait for help to arrive?

  4. Proper kit for the adventure: A cotton hoody from Bass Pro is not proper winter attire. Enough said.  Five minutes of internet research could have clued this couple in on the appropriate winter attire and camping kit they should have packed for their adventure.  The weather can change too, so make sure you’re kitted for any change in the weather, and stocked with enough supplies to hang out for an extra day or two.


Exploring the world by vehicle is awesome, but just as our vehicles can take us so many places they too can get us into one hell of a suffer fest if we are ignorant of our planning, preparation, skills, and current situation.

The International 4WD Trainers Association: Inside the Testing for Certification

This is an inside look at the I4WDTA. My goal here is to provide some level of transparency for an organization I believe in. To that end, I’d like to provide you with a glimpse inside their Testing for Certification process and the extremely diverse knowledge, skills, and aptitudes required to be successful. There were eight Candidate Trainers and a large number of I4WDTA staff present whom I will refer to here as Cadre during this 2021 event.

 

The beginnings of the Association

The I4WDTA was founded by off road legend Bill Burke of Bill Burke’s 4-Wheeling America, an internationally recognized trainer and recovery expert who teaches back country driving techniques, winching and extrication methods, vehicle preparation and maintenance, land navigation and woods skills through classes and private training. He’s also a permitted outfitter and guide through the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Over the years, Bill has served as a consultant for OEM’s like Land Rover, Toyota, and most recently with Rivian.

A US Army veteran, he also represented the USA during the 1991 Camel Trophy in Africa. His professional resume beyond the I4WDTA is far too lengthy to cover here, but on a personal note Bill also tells some seriously hilarious stories if you’re lucky enough to ever share a campfire with him and his dog Henry.

“The Association began as an idea in 2002, a gathering of like minded off-pavement 4WD driver trainers from around the world who wanted to help establish a high level of educational and ethical standards. Our goal was eventual acceptance by civilian, government, industrial and automotive segments as the top 4WD educators in the world, as vetted by third-party and peer review processes. Many invitations were sent, not all were returned. The first Charter meeting in 2004 had an impressive attendance with several renowned trainers ready to work on the SOP and organization standards. I may be the Founder, but the Association has become larger than life with active committees and a Board of Directors. I could not be happier, or more humbled, to see this growth and the members taking ownership of this Association today!”

– Bill Burke

 

The President of the I4WDTA today is Chris Cole. Born and raised in rural South Africa, he has extensive personal expedition travel experience with all manner of 4WD vehicles, and his academic qualifications including a graduate degree in Adult Education from Cornell University. Chris is also a Special Forces veteran of the South West African Territorial Forces which benefits his government customers being trained to operate with limited resources in varying terrain conditions and high stress situations. This expertise also covers his industrial customers focused on safe, practical operation for workers on and off the grid in different weather conditions.

Additionally, Chris has some serious chops when it comes to engineering, machining, and manufacturing. His latest brainchild is the Safe-Xtract® Vehicle Recovery System which was recently selected by the 1st Special Forces Regiment to be the training standard within the US Army’s SF Groups and is currently fielded and being trained there at the team level. He is particularly well qualified to lead the Association, and his quick wit and sense of humor are well known along with the legendary hospitality shown by him and his wife Anne.

“Today almost all vehicle manufacturers are producing highly capable “adventure” vehicles. Combine this with the SxS market and the explosive growth in the “overlanding” market, and we are seeing a huge expansion of people and vehicles going into recreational areas. All these new folk can greatly benefit from being trained to drive safely on our trails without causing environmental destruction nor hurting themselves or their vehicles. This is where the I4WDTA and our Certified Trainers come in”.

– Chris Cole

 

Taken together as a team, Bill and Chris offer an incredible amount of insight and experience that is unmatched in the off-road industry today. From driving to engineering to machining and metallurgy, every topic or question fielded by them is painstakingly addressed. These gifted Master Trainers deliver knowledge in such an effective manner that even the most leisurely learner is quickly brought up to speed. They’ll also happily take anyone in the industry to task if they’re full of bull, which I respect.

Based in New Mexico, today the Association is comprised of Certified Trainers with business experience in motorsports, independent guide services, and off-road training. Some members are also automotive design consultants and engineers while others work in the 4WD industry as after-market vehicle equipment manufacturers and specialty vehicle builders.

The unifying goal among this international group is the promotion of safe and responsible 4WD recreation. This is achieved through a rigorous standards-based curriculum and training development program. This one-of-a-kind program seamlessly integrates Tread Lightly! principles with the latest developments in OEM and aftermarket vehicle technology, recovery techniques, and OHV equipment.

I4WDTA Certified Trainers have demonstrated both the professional knowledge and training standards needed to become certified by enduring and passing the most stringent written and practical examinations in the off-road industry. The I4WDTA is the only 4WD Training Association of its kind in the world today that requires members to pass detailed examinations in order to become a Certified 4WD Trainer.

With current members on five continents actively performing 4WD driver and recovery training in every climate on Earth, it’s an undeniable fact that there is nothing else like it today. Maybe that’s why OEM’s like Ford and Rivian are taking notice by encouraging their personnel to engage with the Association.

How do YOU become a Certified Trainer?

No, you can’t simply buy your way into the Association. And this is not “Training for Certification”. Quite a few people confuse that important detail and assume that they will receive the training here or extra instruction that they will need to pass the final exams. The TESTING FOR CERTIFICATION is the only pathway to membership in the Association, a week-long test where success is earned. You will be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally at a TFC.

My advice? Consider leaving your ego at home, and bring some humility and a willingness to be evaluated with brutal honesty. Bring a thick skin. Start preparing NOW. Read everything you can find that’s 4WD related. Drive everything you can in every environment possible. Manual transmission too. Get stuck and learn how to extract yourself and others. Because anyone who says they’ve “never been stuck” is a damn liar.

If you are out of shape, work on it now. Because you will be outside, in rough terrain, on your feet while spotting, rigging layouts, and working with your hands each day. You will be working with HiLift jacks, Pull Pals and other tools as the situation dictates. Vehicle recovery is hard, physical work.

When you think you’re ready, you can submit an application to attend the next available Testing for Certification. Full details on prerequisites and the complete TFC application process can be found at this link HERE.

What happens at a Testing for Certification (TFC) event?

During my own TFC in Arizona circa 2015, I arrived confident. After all, I’d been wheeling all over the western US for over 20 years and blah blah blah. I’d even been to the University of YouTube. Going into it, I honestly felt like I had a solid foundation.

During my TFC we were evaluated on knowledge, problem solving, didactic presentation and practical exercises. In the classroom and during Cadre led scenario driven events, my own knowledge gaps, misconceptions and flaws were painfully revealed. I endured raised eyebrows and knowing looks from Chris and Bill as well as the other Cadre. They would huddle daily and speak in hushed tones about how my group was performing, comparing notes on our progress and deficiencies. We needed that thick skin I mentioned earlier because we were on the struggle bus.

When they handed me the final written exam, much to my dismay I noted several hundred fill in the blank, essay style questions. This was no multiple choice cake walk like I’d hoped for. We were then given a four hours to complete the final while simultaneously awaiting our turn to be called out individually for the selection board style interview. Other than the northern Arizona mud, that may have been the least fun part of my TFC experience.

When it was all over, I was relieved to have survived this week long process, to have at least made it through to Testing Day 5 without being run off. I was all smiles when Bill and Chris affixed their stately signatures to my certificate making me an I4WDTA Certified Trainer. It was a happy yet humbling moment for sure, especially considering the energy expended in pursuit of this goal.

The TFC begins in the classroom at the Cole Learning Center

Today, Candidates are able to camp near the classroom at the Cole Learning Center, and an excellent food truck was on site the entire week providing three meals a day for both Candidates and Cadre alike. Arriving early and camping on site during the TFC provides many intangible benefits, and enables a higher level bond among the Candidates right out of the gate which becomes a force multiplier later on in the process.

The testing starts in the classroom on Day 1, but after that most of the time is spent testing and teaching outside in the training areas, rain or shine. Topics range from basic to advanced 4WD systems knowledge, trail repair, problem solving ability, navigation, ethics, environmental awareness, and presentation skills to include the conduct of practical exercises.

The days are long at the TFC.

Candidates work from daylight till dark and are expected not only to pass any given quiz, and there are many of them, but to also demonstrate their ability to transfer knowledge and skills by teaching others. The mastery of group dynamics and the ability to work well within small teams is equally as important as an individual’s teaching prowess. A big ego, attitude, or defective moral compass will get you down checked quick by the training Cadre here.

Kurt Williams teaching Recovery Resistance
I4WDTA Vice President Izzy Sanchez demonstrating proper hand signals

The TFC is much more than classroom work.

Most of the time is spent outdoors at the TFC. Conducted at an altitude of about 5,000 feet, the desert environment in New Mexico provides it’s own set of challenges that must be dealt with. The physical and mental effort required by each Candidate to make it through the day is considerable. And the importance of being of sound mind and body is paramount if you expect to be safe and successful on the trail here.

Candidates are repeatedly tested on everything from off-road driving skills to basic 4WD knowledge, HiLift use, and complex rigging for vehicle recovery. A variety of vehicles are used to simulate the diverse needs of future clients, and to ensure proficiency across a broad spectrum of vehicle features and functionality.

As stated earlier, Candidates are required to teach classes on all topics “on the spot” when tasked by the Cadre. The ability of each Candidate Trainer to teach anything and everything, and to effectively transfer that knowledge from Trainer to Student, is constantly evaluated while in the classroom and out on the trail. Ever changing environmental factors, fatigue, and the ingenuity of the Cadre to devise challenging scenarios adds to the fun here.

Critical Thinking is a Requirement

Real world scenarios are designed to challenge the critical thinking skills of each Candidate. Textbook answers, and winches, don’t always work out here. Moving groups of people and vehicles safely through the desert is hard work. Unexpected mobility issues and mechanical failures usually present themselves at inopportune times. When they do, the Candidates are evaluated on their ability to maintain control of the situation to include safety issues and “helpful” bystanders that are sometimes encountered on the trail.

In the back country, a loss of mobility can mean life or death, so failure is not an option for an I4WDTA Trainer.

As the late I4WDTA Master Trainer Scott Fields used to say, “Keep it moving!

The Final Selection Board

Before the written exam is scored and the final decision is made at the TFC, Candidates are engaged on a personal level by a board of seasoned Certified Trainers. The board covers topics ranging from open ended questions to individual performance throughout the week to perceived strengths and weaknesses. Candidates are also asked direct, pointed questions about future plans for continuing education, goals in the industry, and training others if selected to join the Association. For some, this peer review is the one of the hardest parts of the entire week.

Standards and attrition are high. During the 2021 TFC, there were eight Candidates from across the USA and Canada. Every one of them is an experienced off-roader, trail guide, and leader in their own community. And they all showed up and worked hard in New Mexico.

After all the scores were tabulated and discussed, the Association announced the final decision on site.

Kevin Burden was awarded Certified Trainer status. Probationary status was awarded to Mike Brent and Ben Maher, who will now pair up with a Certified Trainer for remediation, and testing, again next year.

The others didn’t make the cut.

Kevin Burden, I4WDTA Certified Trainer

If you’re interested in receiving training from a Certified Trainer, or if you’re ready to attend the next TFC, you can learn more HERE. Get trained and get out there!

FULL DISCLOSURE: This article is not sponsored. My travel to and from this event was entirely funded by myself for the purposes of my own continuing education, and this article I’ve written here for you. Special thanks to Chuck Davis at Survive Off Road for some of the photos featured here.