Winter Fun Fest 2001 - Avalanche Express

Grass Valley, CA- Up until a few days prior to this year's Winter Fun Fest, things were looking like a repeat of last year prior to the Fun Fest. As if right on cue, Mother Nature came through and dropped several feet of fresh, powdery snow on the trails just days before the event.

This weekend, I elected to ride with fellow 4x4wire staff member Diane Hawks in her black 1984 Renegade CJ-7. This would allow me more time and flexibility to take pictures of the action without having to worry about driving. We arrived at the Grass Valley fairgrounds early Saturday morning and checked in for the Avalanche Express trail run. This is the premier trail at WFF. The registration package gives this description of the trail: "As an extreme tour, the Avalanche Express will venture into areas where a track has not been broken. The tour will continue as far as safe conditions permit and vehicles are able to travel. Drivers should be comfortable with deep snow driving, and all participants are to be prepared for exposure to extreme weather conditions. This trail has special equipment requirements that will be verified during the Tech/Safety inspection at the trail head". Once we picked up our registration package, we were off to the staging area for the Tech/Safety inspection.

The trailhead for the Avalanche Express trail was located at the start of Forest Route 19 (FR19) just past the Eagle Mountain Nordic Ski area off the Yuba Gap exit from Interstate 80 (see map). By the time we arrived at the trailhead, there were already about 30 rigs lined up and being inspected for the necessary equipment required by the California Association of 4wheel Drive Clubs. After a short introduction, we were directed to follow a trail crew up the road to where the rest of the group was waiting. We introduced ourselves to Ken Carlsen, the trail boss for the day, and the rest of the crew. Once all the vehicles were aired down, inspected and lined up at the staging area, Ken went through the drivers meeting detailing the general plan for the day. Once that was taken care of, we were off and running up the trail.

The first part of the trail was pretty mild with only about 1-foot of snow on the ground. As we migrated to higher elevations, the snow depth increased along with the first of many stuck vehicles. Getting stuck on a trail like this is part of the fun and there's always a rig close by to lend a tow strap when needed. Large tires, adequate ground clearance and at least one locker are required for this trail run. These equipment requirements (along with the other required items) will make this trip more enjoyable for you and the rest of the people on the trip.

As we meandered farther up the trail, it was becoming more and more evident that Mother Nature had indeed passed through this area a few days earlier. The snow pack had a firm base with light, powdery snow on top of that. Perfect conditions for blasting through the snow drifts and carving out our own "turns" in the snow.


Jeff Nolan in his 1996 Nissan clearing the trail for the rest of the pack.	Diane Hawks leads a small group up the trail. Note the snow depth next to her right front tire.	Pat Rutherford from Henderson, Nevada gets his 1995 YJ slideways on the Avalanche Trail

The entire group was making good time up the trail, with the occasional stoppage to yank a stuck rig out of the snow. For the first couple of miles, the trail was somewhat already broken by the trail crew who had pre-run the trail a couple days earlier. These conditions didn't last long however and soon we were breaking trail through 2 1/2 feet of fresh, virgin Sierra Nevada powder. The only tracks ahead of us were from a group of snowmobile's who had passed us coming down the trail.

As the trail continued to wind up the hill, the snow depth continued to increase along with the slope of the trail. Jeff Nolan in his 1996 Nissan truck was doing a great job breaking trail up until he popped a bead on one of his gigantic tires. The only way to get an air source to him was for Rick Thomas to try and snow plow his way up next to Jeff's rig. No easy feat when the snow depth off the trail is 2 to 3 feet deep! Once we had Jeff's tire reseated, he moved off the trail to allow others the opportunity to break tail. One by one, different rigs took turns pushing the trail farther up the hill. When one rig would get stuck, it was strapped out of the way and another rig took over breaking trail.

Eventually the trail was cleared another 1/8-mile by some die-hard driving and sheer determination until it was time to turn the caravan around and head back down to the fairgrounds. After a quick headcount we were on our way back to Grass Valley.


Pat Rutherford breaking trail.	Ryan Garrett in his 1983 CJ.	Getting up close and almost too personal.

If you love deep snow and you're rig is prepared and well equipped, then the Avalanche Express trail should be on your list for next year. Keep in mind that this trail is limited to 30 rigs, so be sure to register early, as this and all the other runs at Winter Fun Fest were booked solid. Thanks to the trail crew led by Ken Carlsen for getting us to the good stuff and back in one piece.

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California Association of 4wheel Drive Clubs	Photo Gallery