Could have used your help on Trifecta, I was the only one that "knew" the way out 
CK5
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Trifecta discussion for BB12
- Thread starter kgblazerfive
- Start date
Could have used your help on Trifecta, I was the only one that "knew" the way out
That trail is more and more of a cluster F. every year. It's just too much for this group IMO.
I probably wouldn't have been any help to you cause my plan was to wheel hard and drink harder. I most likely would have been three sheets to the wind by the time you needed me
The problem with the "trifecta" is that everyone who has run it enough to lead, is smart enough not to lead a group of 10+ people that are on slickrock for the first time.
Tru dat
That's why I've never done it. Don't want to be the guy holding everybody up. Would do it with 4 other trucks with experienced drivers. Maybe next year.
Land Cruiser guys drive like Land Cruiser guys, Blazer guys drive like lead footed hillbillies 
I think the problem is, we're used to being able to just hit the throttle when we can't get up something, toyota guys don't want to dent their sheetmetal so they finesse it more. Put these guys that are used to driving everything with the skinny pedal on slickrock and stuff starts breaking because their tires don't slip.
IMO this is too much run for the average BB attendee.
It isn't hard, it is sort of long but not that long, the trifecta' is a lot of things but there is one thing it isn't and that's forgiving.
One little mess up and and things go south fast. The larger group size and honestly inexperienced guys make this a run that is just more than I think should be done for this event.
Look at the guys that are now not doing it cause it takes too long with the average BB group, we're all long time BB guys and wheelers. Look at the (My perception) guys on the run, their all newer to the game and learning still, or shaking out their equipment.
Do the crack and back, do poison spider, hells etc. keep it a bit simpler for a couple years, even start a points system that you have to aquire points to be able to register for the trail. I don't know it just seems like this one trail is becoming the center piece of the event and to me it's honestly a black eye trail.
It isn't hard, it is sort of long but not that long, the trifecta' is a lot of things but there is one thing it isn't and that's forgiving.
One little mess up and and things go south fast. The larger group size and honestly inexperienced guys make this a run that is just more than I think should be done for this event.
Look at the guys that are now not doing it cause it takes too long with the average BB group, we're all long time BB guys and wheelers. Look at the (My perception) guys on the run, their all newer to the game and learning still, or shaking out their equipment.
Do the crack and back, do poison spider, hells etc. keep it a bit simpler for a couple years, even start a points system that you have to aquire points to be able to register for the trail. I don't know it just seems like this one trail is becoming the center piece of the event and to me it's honestly a black eye trail.
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
The last time I ran the fecta we got back to the cabin around 1:30 am, problems after problems on the trail. We barely got to the crack at dark. That was the year JMS turned around, he was the only smart one. Everyone knows that all the good obstacles are after the crack, not very fun when you cant see anything. I personaly like that run. I have done it with 3 other jeeps in 7 hours, and that is playing on all the obstacles. I think it is a good run but not for newbes and rigs on there last limb but thats just me. I personaly will never run the fecta with a group of 5+ the odds are just stacked against you. One late night like that is good for me. On the other hand I am sure everyone involved in that run came more prepared from that point on, I know I did.
I've only been to Blazer Bash 2x's, I've run Trifecta both times, and I think we need to limit the # of trucks in each group. Maybe even put like trucks together for the run. Having a truck with 33"-35" following a nut with 39"-44" tires, tends to end with the smaller rig breaking.
That being said, I'll probably run it again next year. It would be fun to leave early, finish the trail, have dinner, then do a rescue run for the newbies.
That being said, I'll probably run it again next year. It would be fun to leave early, finish the trail, have dinner, then do a rescue run for the newbies.
I've only been to Blazer Bash 2x's, I've run Trifecta both times, and I think we need to limit the # of trucks in each group. Maybe even put like trucks together for the run. Having a truck with 33"-35" following a nut with 39"-44" tires, tends to end with the smaller rig breaking.
That being said, I'll probably run it again next year. It would be fun to leave early, finish the trail, have dinner, then do a rescue run for the newbies.
You just cursed yourself Chris. If I get to go next year I want to not be in the same group as Chris
I did not think that it was all that bad of a run. Yeah it took forever, yeah we had a ton of breakage. We all decided as a group on what we were doing. I got a ton of walking in which was rather good for my MS so being the cripple I did not mind.
I think all of us came into the trail knowing full well it was going to take us forever.
I think all of us came into the trail knowing full well it was going to take us forever.
It shouldn't though, the trail can easily be run in less than 8 hours. There were two groups this year, the first group (small) came out just after the crack-n-back and rusty crack groups got back to the parking lot (4:30PM IIRC).
Typical newb.
I try not to think of myself as a wheeling snob but I guess I am cause the above thinking is exactly why I won't do this run again as a normal BB run.
Of course it's also my opinion that there should be ZERO breakage on that run. Really it isn't that hard. We run the exact same parts in the race car that most of these vehicles do for hundreds of race miles with zero issues. And just an FYI there are probably some blazers that weigh less than the race car in full race trim, just to take away the "the race car weighs less" argument. Try 6,000# plus at the start of V2R.
Now there is always the spectacular and new breakage that makes you go Hmmm. Punching a hole in an Oil filter, that's odd breakage and goes down in the books as something new and spectacular. Blowing up a front driveshaft, that is something that shouldn't happen because the front wheels were off the ground.
I'm really not pointing fingers at anyone but this is the same discussion that we have at this time every year and it's always over the same trail, between the same people etc.
I know what I would do if I was Scott and the organizer of this event and the trifecta in the beginning of September wouldn't be it!
After spending several hours following dinner worried about what was going on with the trail and then making the "rescue" run with Stephen and James, I've had some new/more thoughts about the Trifecta.
I understand why many people sign up for it, especially people new to Moab. It offers the best bang for the buck when you are travelling far, spending lots of money, and maybe this is the only time you can make it to Moab. However that being said, I think for the near future the Trifecta will not be an option for people new to Moab.
Heck even at 1:30AM on the last obstacle of the trail, Butt-Scratcher Rock; I still saw probably over half the trucks didn't get the idea of the 'Moab-Bump'. I can only imagine how it went on the entire trail. It's a hard concept to get and there are better trails to learn it on; Metal Masher is a good example that comes to mind right away.
There's also the mindset Stephen discusses where running the Trifecta is about getting to the end of the trail, not hitting every obstacle and taking the hardest lines. I think because this might be the only run many of the guys will do on the first, and maybe only, trip to Moab; they want to try out all of the challenges available.
It's fine if the guys running the trail had fun, that's exactly what I hope happens. It's the people on standby to run a rescue trip that it's hard on. And I hate just expecting that the ORD crew is ready to jump in and make a 1AM run up Gold Bar. Not that Stephen, James, or Brandon would ever complain about it; they are just that gracious and it's not fair to take advantage of it. This tells me we need to develop and "action plan" for trail emergencies/rescue situations; something I've obviously failed to do in our organizing the event.
The only other option I've thought of is to organize a MANDATORY trail run the day before the Trifecta for those that want to run it especially if it's for their first Moab trip. This run would need to be a good shakedown test for the vehicles and also an education. In order to pull this off we would still need to limit the number of rigs on the run.
I kinda like the idea of keeping the Trifecta and making it more of a draw for the event. Something you only get to do if you've been to Blazer Bash before and/or if you've passed a certain criteria. It would be something that might provide further motivation for people to come back to Blazer Bash a second time. And hopefully with better planning as we learn more each year, we can make it a smoother run.
Some of it is also a learning process, unfortunately. The big thing that lead to the rescue run this year was a need for fuel. There was fuel in other trucks, but no way to get it to the truck that needed it. If someone had a simple hand pump in their truck, it wouldn't have been a problem.
In hindsight, it makes sense that we should have had a contingency plan for fuel problems considering how long the trail can end up taking.
Of course all this depends on being able to find a trail leader to take a group on that run again...
I understand why many people sign up for it, especially people new to Moab. It offers the best bang for the buck when you are travelling far, spending lots of money, and maybe this is the only time you can make it to Moab. However that being said, I think for the near future the Trifecta will not be an option for people new to Moab.
Heck even at 1:30AM on the last obstacle of the trail, Butt-Scratcher Rock; I still saw probably over half the trucks didn't get the idea of the 'Moab-Bump'. I can only imagine how it went on the entire trail. It's a hard concept to get and there are better trails to learn it on; Metal Masher is a good example that comes to mind right away.
There's also the mindset Stephen discusses where running the Trifecta is about getting to the end of the trail, not hitting every obstacle and taking the hardest lines. I think because this might be the only run many of the guys will do on the first, and maybe only, trip to Moab; they want to try out all of the challenges available.
It's fine if the guys running the trail had fun, that's exactly what I hope happens. It's the people on standby to run a rescue trip that it's hard on. And I hate just expecting that the ORD crew is ready to jump in and make a 1AM run up Gold Bar. Not that Stephen, James, or Brandon would ever complain about it; they are just that gracious and it's not fair to take advantage of it. This tells me we need to develop and "action plan" for trail emergencies/rescue situations; something I've obviously failed to do in our organizing the event.
The only other option I've thought of is to organize a MANDATORY trail run the day before the Trifecta for those that want to run it especially if it's for their first Moab trip. This run would need to be a good shakedown test for the vehicles and also an education. In order to pull this off we would still need to limit the number of rigs on the run.
I kinda like the idea of keeping the Trifecta and making it more of a draw for the event. Something you only get to do if you've been to Blazer Bash before and/or if you've passed a certain criteria. It would be something that might provide further motivation for people to come back to Blazer Bash a second time. And hopefully with better planning as we learn more each year, we can make it a smoother run.
Some of it is also a learning process, unfortunately. The big thing that lead to the rescue run this year was a need for fuel. There was fuel in other trucks, but no way to get it to the truck that needed it. If someone had a simple hand pump in their truck, it wouldn't have been a problem.
In hindsight, it makes sense that we should have had a contingency plan for fuel problems considering how long the trail can end up taking.
Of course all this depends on being able to find a trail leader to take a group on that run again...
I love running the trifecta and I missed it this year. Part of the problem is that nobody wants to be the bad guy (talking about trail leaders). There are rigs that shouldn't go on the run, but nobody wants to say "you can't go".
I led the Pritchett run on Sunday, it says right in the rules "2 lockers, 38+ tires and winch required" 3 of 5 rigs didn't have winches, 2 were on 37s, but none of the issues had anything to do with those requirements, however if we would have excluded the rigs that didn't meet the minimum requirements we wouldn't have had any problems and probably would have come off the trail early in the afternoon (but it would have just been the two 1st Gen Brent's). We also ran Behind the Rocks backwards for reference.
I'm not immune to breakage either. I broke a main leaf on Green Day on Saturday. If that happened out in the middle of nowhere on the trifecta run, it would have made for a long day. A small break (axle shaft, drive shaft etc.) on the Trifecta makes for an extremely difficult recovery.
I led the Pritchett run on Sunday, it says right in the rules "2 lockers, 38+ tires and winch required" 3 of 5 rigs didn't have winches, 2 were on 37s, but none of the issues had anything to do with those requirements, however if we would have excluded the rigs that didn't meet the minimum requirements we wouldn't have had any problems and probably would have come off the trail early in the afternoon (but it would have just been the two 1st Gen Brent's). We also ran Behind the Rocks backwards for reference.
I'm not immune to breakage either. I broke a main leaf on Green Day on Saturday. If that happened out in the middle of nowhere on the trifecta run, it would have made for a long day. A small break (axle shaft, drive shaft etc.) on the Trifecta makes for an extremely difficult recovery.
I have experienced all of these issues on multiple occasions. It's hard to be the ass but in the long run I have learned that it's for the better.
And your example of breakage is spot on for the trifecta, that one small thing would have made for a long day for you and a few other guys and it just shows how big of a deal a small thing can be when your literally 15 miles of dirt from a trailer. But because it was on green day it was just a little thing that probably put a early stop to the day.
