As the seasons change and Old Man Winter graces the mountains with liberal doses of fluffy white stuff, our thoughts drift towards winterizing our rigs, snow runs, and making sure our heaters work. Yes, even out here in sunny California we get snow. And the Sierra Nevada gets the lion's share. When we received an invitation to attend the Winter Fun Festival (WFF), a three-day extravaganza of snow-wheeling in the northern Sierra, we didn't need much of a reason, other than the words "snow" and "'wheeling" to load up the rig and head for the high country.
The Winter Fun Festival, which is now in its 28th year, has evolved into an annual winter destination event for hundreds of northern Californians. Based in the Gold Country town of Grass Valley, the area is rich in history of the '49ers and the Gold Rush. It also boasts some of the last of the hard-rock gold mines in the country, the Sixteen to One Mine in Alleghany. Winter Fun, which started back in 1982 as a small gathering of friends and two trail rides, now offers eleven trails ranging from mild to wild. The high country routes usually present headlight deep snow, and lockers, lifts, and over-sized tires are prerequisites. Mid-range runs skirt the snow pack's fringe, and the historic and SUV trips provide narrated tours of mines, graveyards, historic saloons, and the regions colorful past. Now, while the historic tour sounds...well...historic, we were looking for snow - lots of snow!
The air at 6 a.m. had a bite to it, and steam swirled from our coffee like that of a Norwegian hot spring in the dead of winter. After a home-cooked country breakfast of bacon, eggs, and biscuits and gravy, 200 rigs rolled out of the Grass Valley fairgrounds to their various staging areas. A few weeks earlier, the Old Man obliged us with a healthy dousing of snow, and our trail, Avalanche Express, had seen little traffic. With hubs locked and tire pressure below 10 psi for maximum floatation, we rolled off the pavement near Yuba Gap, elevation 5,500 feet.
Per WFF rules, all vehicles on Avalanche Express were required to have lockers, a lift, 35-inch tires, and a sleeping bag for each passenger. We've 'wheeled in lots of snow, and bringing extra food, water, fuel to start a fire, and sleeping bags makes good sense (yes, we've had to hunker down for the night a few times). The route would take us well above the snowline to the 6,500-foot level.
The snow depth increased with the elevation and when the existing tracks we were following disappeared, progress slowed and the rigs blazing trail began to get stuck. At this point we called in Cory Kaiser to the front of the line in his ultra-clean YJ. At 6 psi, his Goodyear MTR's churned right through the powdery abyss. In the back, the other rigs had a much easier time as long as they stayed in the existing track. If you didn't have good tires or got sideways and off track, there was a good chance you would be getting the hook from a buddy. The planned lunch spot was in an open play area near the top of Yuba Gap. Spectacular! Once the trail crew rounded up the stragglers, we spent the afternoon challenging machine against the elements and soaking up a winter sun while WFF kids had a toboggan contest using a snow shovel as a sled.
Our group on the Avalanche...
Our group on the Avalanche Express trail broke into two groups. Ours headed to the top of Yuba Gap and caught fresh, trackless snow almost immediately. The sun was out and it looked like it was going to be a great day.
Standard equipment on any...
Standard equipment on any rig heading to a snow-packed trail should be a reliable air compressor. A variety of quality aftermarket compressors, such as a converted York compressor or an ARB unit, are relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and worth their weight in gold when you need them.
Floatation is the name of...
Floatation is the name of the game when traversing soft snow. While 10 to 12 psi is usually the minimum air pressure for un-beadlocked tires in the rocks, running 5 to 6 psi in the snow allows for a much wider footprint. And a wider footprint means better floatation.
The Winter Fun Festival, which...
The Winter Fun Festival, which is sponsored by the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs, offers a dozen different trail rides ranging from extreme snow to mild SUV runs. The northern Sierra Nevada Mountains received 3 feet of the white powdery stuff in the days prior to WFF, which provided for plenty of powdery drifts to blaze through.
The bummer about shooting...
The bummer about shooting off-road events is that you are always on foot and not driving. We headed back up the trail on Sunday to break in a set of Goodyear's Kevlar MT/Rs, Considering our 33s are an E-rated tire, they worked great at 5 psi. Despite our expectations of peeling a tire from the rim, we were thankfully surprised.
No matter what tires you run...
No matter what tires you run or choice of vehicle, gravity is often the common denominator that brings people together.
Winter Fun Fest is all about...
Winter Fun Fest is all about the fun! Seemingly impervious to cold climes and frosty hands, the kids had more fun than anyone, slipping and sliding down a fresh coating of the frosty white stuff.
Now these are the kind of...
Now these are the kind of signs we like.