Rock Crawling - Spotters or No Spotters?

[badlinesgoodtimes]

Rock Crawling - Spotters or No Spotters?

What's your take?



Discuss

 

[Endless Trails]

@4lowlance like to "spot" all the mistakes I am making getting through a section. Not to help, but more so we have something fun to talk about around the fire. I don't ask for one unless I can't see what is keeping me from getting through and I have made a few different line choices, I have run the front bumper into something I couldn't see, or the line has death consequence.

I think I can count on my hands the number of times I have needed a spotter or that I have been asked to spot on trips with our core group. I will exclude Utah as Lance was doing Jeep things with 2wd and a few spots were death to the left or just needed a little help to get the line so the back tires would grab. With the club there tends to be more spotting as there are more green drivers, but not as much as the over lander influencers seem to do.

 

[dirtyjed]

With my true crawler buddies we offer horrible "spotting" advice to each other to see if we can get somebody to make bad decisions. For the most part we're experienced enough, and our rigs are built enough, we can drive out of an obstacle using braille.
Except places like Sand Hollow where you will die.
But con or dyce, yeah don't listen to any of us.

 

[Kellyex1450]

Not having a spotter is better than a bad spotter or even worse an unknown ability spotter that will gladly walk away after they gave you the line that tossed your ride on its side. Be very selective on when and who spots you, is my opinion.

 

[Endless Trails]

With my true crawler buddies we offer horrible "spotting" advice to each other to see if we can get somebody to make bad decisions. For the most part we're experienced enough, and our rigs are built enough, we can drive out of an obstacle using braille.
Except places like Sand Hollow where you will die.
But con or dyce, yeah don't listen to any of us.

Sounds a lot like the Bakersfield boys. Except when they are spotting for an event or something legit. Fenner, @delux5k is a ridiculously good spotter when he needs to be.
I have trouble as I have been so deep into not using a spotter for so long that I suck at being spotted as I am still trying to look at where I am going vs trust the process and watch the hands.

 

[Harry Johnson]

For me spotting is just like taking the strap or winch cable to get out. I'll do it if things aren't going right, but I'd rather work it out myself. Not offended by peanut gallery standing around talking chit tho.


The group I wheel with (when I actually get my act together and go wheeling), just goes when we're crawling. They'll only come back to watch, and maaaybe spot if someone has a problem. Of that group, one of the most talented crawlers won't take any spotter advice ever. Homeboy could be upside down with one tire touching a rock and he'll ignore everyone and keep trying to drive it out his way.

"Drive it!" is probably the extent of the spotting you'll get out of our group unless you're broken or about to die taking the wrong line:

 

[dirtyjed]

There should always be someone yelling encouraging words.
Drive it, goose it, throw your purse at it you fucking pussy, etc.
Throwing beers is dumb, just give it to me if your so angry at the beer.

 

[Harry Johnson]

There should always be someone yelling encouraging words.
Drive it, goose it, throw your purse at it you fucking pussy, etc.
Throwing beers is dumb, just give it to me if your so angry at the beer.

100% hell yes. One day I was out mountain biking and one thing led to another and I ended up on a ride with a guy named Cody Webb (yes, we were on bicycles not motorcycles):


Anyway, most fast dudes on a mountain bike will take off at the start of a downhill, shred the crap out of everything and not stop until the bottom. Not Cody and his group. Every gnarly chute, every crazy rock section, they'd stop at the bottom and heckle each other. All the way down the mountain. Some of the most fun riding I had done in a long time. I hit one chute where I had both brakes locked up at the same time, literally could not stop, and barely survived the catch berm at the bottom. Dude is his crew shouts out while I'm mid-panic coming down "Easy there whiskey throttle!".

 

[Endless Trails]

That dude has the easy button figured out for riding anything. It was incredible watching him blitz up Sledgehammer from the top of the canyon one of the years. Also humbling was not being able keep up with Gram Jarvis while he was riding with no rear mouse and the tire held on with two rim locks. He had asked if I could follow him and make sure he got back to the finish. I didn't make it very far.