2024 Big Dogs Ice Breakers (Cove)
- Thread starter The_Rock
- Start date
Added to Calendar: 04-26-24, 04-27-24, 04-28-24
I just signed up for Big Dogs Ice Breakers. My coworker and I will doing level 7. This will be my first time visiting The Cove.
www.bigdogsoffroad.com
2024 ICE BREAKERS. 4/26 - 4/28 2024 | Big Dogs Family Offroad LLC
Registration is now OPEN!! – Make sure to register for the event and then please contact The Cove Campground directly for admission to the campground and camping costs and reservations. What to expect at a Big Dogs Family Offroad LLC event: (please read the whole way through)When you pull into...
That’s what I’ve heard. I’m hoping my axles and armor holds up.I also signed up for 7. Just a heads up, the Cove can be hard on equipment!
The drive to the cove was clear, but the clouds were ominous. As we pulled into the campground, the rain started and was coming down pretty good. While airing down I discovered a bolt in my passenger rear tire. I decided to put on my spare, and was thoroughly drenched by the time we had the driver's meeting at 9.
I was there with my coworker (2dr jk rubicon on 35s) and his friend (gladiator on 40s). We had signed up for 7s, but with the pouring rain we decided to opt for a lighter level as our introduction to The Cove. The lines became rather confusing as many were changing. We ended up in a group claim to be 4+, and the trails they took us on we were told were 7-8s. With the heavy rain, the rocks were slippery. Vehicles without lockers were having to use multiple attempts and more skinny pedal to make it over. My 4 door wrangler with lockers and mud tires did very well on the trails, I would rate what we did more like 5-6.
The rain stopped around lunch time, but many trails were still very well, and some were quite muddy.
Here are the trail names I was able to take note of.
Pinnacle
Canyon
V-Trail
Boulder
Hard Rock Crawlers
U-turn Easy
Winch
(2 or 3 more I didn't catch the name of)
We had one vehicle slice up a tire and need to swap on his spare. Another the roof mounted spare became rather loose and had to be relocated inside. The gladiator bent his steersmarts tie rod and he had to readjust his stabilizer that was limiting his steering. And near the end of the day a lady near the front of the group had her track bar mount snap off the frame. They opted to ratchet strap the dangling track bar out of the way, so her rear axle was shifting side to side and rubbing badly. Hopefully she found someone who could weld the bracket back on at camp.
Since we were just there for the day, we aired up in the field where we all lined up in the morning, then headed home. It was a very enjoyable day. Now I need to get that bolt patched in my tire.
I was there with my coworker (2dr jk rubicon on 35s) and his friend (gladiator on 40s). We had signed up for 7s, but with the pouring rain we decided to opt for a lighter level as our introduction to The Cove. The lines became rather confusing as many were changing. We ended up in a group claim to be 4+, and the trails they took us on we were told were 7-8s. With the heavy rain, the rocks were slippery. Vehicles without lockers were having to use multiple attempts and more skinny pedal to make it over. My 4 door wrangler with lockers and mud tires did very well on the trails, I would rate what we did more like 5-6.
The rain stopped around lunch time, but many trails were still very well, and some were quite muddy.
Here are the trail names I was able to take note of.
Pinnacle
Canyon
V-Trail
Boulder
Hard Rock Crawlers
U-turn Easy
Winch
(2 or 3 more I didn't catch the name of)
We had one vehicle slice up a tire and need to swap on his spare. Another the roof mounted spare became rather loose and had to be relocated inside. The gladiator bent his steersmarts tie rod and he had to readjust his stabilizer that was limiting his steering. And near the end of the day a lady near the front of the group had her track bar mount snap off the frame. They opted to ratchet strap the dangling track bar out of the way, so her rear axle was shifting side to side and rubbing badly. Hopefully she found someone who could weld the bracket back on at camp.
Since we were just there for the day, we aired up in the field where we all lined up in the morning, then headed home. It was a very enjoyable day. Now I need to get that bolt patched in my tire.
94hokies
Member 2024
After getting a stick thru my radiator there last fall, we went ahead and trailered in and did Group 5 after attempting 6 last time. Generally, the guides did a great job both days but the lack of requiring radios was annoying. And echoing prior comment, there was a lot of line shuffling around getting folks in the right spots. Sat went much smoother. As a newer driver, the biggest challenge I had was with how narrow the trails are compared to Rausch. The hardtop took a few whacks and lots of three-point turns getting around some of the tighter areas. Last year I was too scared to try V-notch but stepped up this year. Learned that "give it some gas" from the spotter is not the same a "punch it"
First attempt tried the passenger line and got hung up, backed down and went more driver side above
We didn't camp this year, but I did in the fall and typical tent sites. Noise wasn't too bad, but I was also in a site pretty far from the meeting area. Plenty of room for trailers, and there were a lot that trailered in. Even at the 5-6 level, there were a lot that were not able to drive public roads. When I did 6 last year, they warned me that there is an expectation there will be a high chance of damage. This year I got a crack on the hardtop, rear plastic wheel well liner ripped out and one of the door hinge mounted fold-up steps got bent.
Food is provided on a donation basis. We had prior commitments and had to drive home each night so missed out on the bonfire and any other events. In the fall, the buggies went out on a night ride that I bet was a blast.
First attempt tried the passenger line and got hung up, backed down and went more driver side above
We didn't camp this year, but I did in the fall and typical tent sites. Noise wasn't too bad, but I was also in a site pretty far from the meeting area. Plenty of room for trailers, and there were a lot that trailered in. Even at the 5-6 level, there were a lot that were not able to drive public roads. When I did 6 last year, they warned me that there is an expectation there will be a high chance of damage. This year I got a crack on the hardtop, rear plastic wheel well liner ripped out and one of the door hinge mounted fold-up steps got bent.
Food is provided on a donation basis. We had prior commitments and had to drive home each night so missed out on the bonfire and any other events. In the fall, the buggies went out on a night ride that I bet was a blast.