SAFETY & RESPONSIBILITY
WHEELING WISELY
A DREAM GIVEN FORM
Since the 4WDABC’s inception 48 years ago, education has been a key component of what we stand for: safe and responsible wheeling.
For years, we’ve instructed new wheelers as best we could, based on our own experiences, but we always knew we needed to up our game and bring in some professional help in order to bring real value to our membership.
In the fall of 2018, after a two-year research and vetting process, we engaged Chris Cole and the legendary Bill Burke of the International 4 Wheel Drive Trainers Association to visit us here in Beautiful BC, where they spent an intensive week with 17 of our members from all over the province, imparting equal measures of instruction in teaching concepts and methods, and off-road driving, recovery, and safety.
After another year of curriculum planning, course development, and hands-on practice, the Wheeling Wisely program launched our first course, Foundations of Four-Wheeling, in Prince George in September of 2019 to rave reviews, followed by courses in the Fraser Valley in October and November.
In 2020, we expanded our content with Essentials of Off-Road Recovery, and brought both to other parts of BC for weekend programs combining both courses. Then in 2023, we added Recovery for Softroaders, aimed at the all-wheel-drive SUV and crossover segment.
2023 was rounded out by a second “Train the Trainer” experience, bringing in 20 more members from across BC to become trainers in their own right, thus allowing us to expand the program even more.
A DREAM GIVEN FORM
Since the 4WDABC’s inception 47 years ago, education has been a key component of what we stand for: safe and responsible wheeling.
For years, we’ve instructed new wheelers as best we could, based on our own experiences, but we always knew we needed to up our game and bring in some professional help in order to bring real value to our membership.
In the fall of 2018, after a two-year research and vetting process, we engaged Chris Cole and the legendary Bill Burke of the International 4 Wheel Drive Trainers Association to visit us here in Beautiful BC, where they spent an intensive week with 17 of our members from all over the province, imparting equal measures of instruction in teaching concepts and methods, and off-road driving, recovery, and safety.
After another year of curriculum planning, course development, and hands-on practice, the Wheeling Wisely program launched our first course, Foundations of Four-Wheeling, in Prince George in September of 2019 to rave reviews, followed by courses in the Fraser Valley in October and November.
In 2020, we expanded our content with Essentials of Off-Road Recovery, and brought both to other parts of BC for weekend programs combining both courses. Then in 2023, we added Recovery for Softroaders, aimed at the all-wheel-drive SUV and crossover segment.
2023 was rounded out by a second “Train the Trainer” experience, bringing in 20 more members from across BC to become trainers in their own right, thus allowing us to expand the program even more.
A COURSE FOR YOU
WHEELING WISELY COURSES
A typical weekend includes Foundations of Four-Wheeling on Saturday, with Essentials of Off-Road Recovery building on it the next day. You can take each separately, but we highly recommend experiencing them together. As we like to say, “FOFW teaches you how not to get stuck; EORR teaches you what to do when you didn’t listen to yourself.”
Our 2025 schedule for FOFW/EORR currently includes:
- VANCOUVER ISLAND (Duncan): April 26/27
- FRASER VALLEY (West Stave): Jan 18/19, Feb 22/23, Mar 22/23, Apr 26/27, May 24/25, Jun 21/22, Jul 19/20, Aug 16/17, Sep 20/21, Oct 18/19, Nov 15/16
- KAMLOOPS (Lac du Bois ORV Park): April 26/27, September 20/21
- APEX (Penticton): EORR August 23
Other dates may be added later; be sure to watch the calendar for updates!
NEW FOR 2025INTERMEDIATE WINCHING
This year we’re adding a new course to cover more advanced winching techniques.
Do you have a winch? Have you been wondering what its potential could be? This course is for you! Explore different rigging techniques and new innovative recovery gear. Gain the knowledge to use your winch effectively and safely.
Planned dates are:
- Fraser Valley (West Stave): Feb 15, Mar 30, Jun 28, Jul 27, Sep 27, Oct 26
- Apex: Aug 24
See below for more details.
The cost for each course for FOFW and EORR is $150; for IWC the cost is $200. To keep things fair for all, each attendee must have their own ticket, whether or not they’re driving, and be a 4WDABC member in good standing.
You should bring a chair, notepad and pen, lunch and snacks, water or non-alcoholic beverages, clothing appropriate to the day’s weather, and bug spray and sunscreen. Recommended PPE is cut-resistant gloves, work gloves, or gardening gloves.
These are busy, action-packed days, so we do require that attendees not bring kids or pets.
There are no washroom facilities at these locations; please prepare accordingly.
FOUNDATIONS OF FOUR-WHEELING
The focus of Foundations of Four-Wheeling is to take you through the very basics and help make you comfortable in your off-road vehicle in a variety of common situations and obstacles.
MORE INFO
This course will take up to ten students for a full day of instruction with a minimum of three instructors, allowing you to interact with the other students and share your experiences while learning from each other.
The focus of Foundations of Four-Wheeling is to take you through the very basics and help make you comfortable in your off-road vehicle in a variety of common situations and obstacles.
Course topics include simple trip planning/preparedness for an afternoon adventure, understanding your vehicle while looking at it in a 360-degree view, trail safety and etiquette, the importance of airing down, trail driving, 4WD systems, and what equipment to carry.
In this day-long class, you will safely learn with our trained instructors in a controlled real-world environment. On-trail skills you’ll learn include how to pick a line, spotting, hill climbing and descent, off-camber (side-hill), and driving in different terrain conditions, to name a few.
The day will conclude with learning important post-trip procedures and airing up before heading home.
By the end of the course, you will gain confidence in yourself and a better understanding of your vehicle, allowing you to head out on your adventures and be safer.
ESSENTIALS OF OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
The second course in the Wheeling Wisely series is Essentials of Off-Road Recovery, taking you through the basics of self-recovery, giving you the ability to safely get yourself out of that “sticky situation.”
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With hands-on experience in a variety of common scenarios, you will gain confidence and understanding of the techniques and gear used to make all your off-road adventures safer.
Following introductions and housekeeping, the day will start with a review of equipment commonly used in recovery, which will help you figure out what you need. We’ll also take you through the steps of the “stuck assessment 360” and show you how to use that information to formulate and execute a recovery plan.
With a basic understanding of common gear and planning, we’ll dive into using some of that gear for a traction extraction demonstration before we guide you through the same exercise in your own vehicle with your own gear (don’t have the gear yet? No problem, we have lots to share).
Next, we’ll run through a demonstration and exercise on how to properly and safely use a hi-lift jack (“it’s not just a jack, it’s a tool”), including some of the uses besides simply lifting your vehicle.
Building on your new skills and confidence from the day, we’ll move on to winching. During this session, our instructors will teach you about winching safety including a review of gear and hand signals, before executing a double line pull demo.
By the end of this action-packed day, you will have learned new skills, built your confidence, and made new friends. You’ll be better prepared to deal with situations that may come up on your next adventure!
RECOVERY FOR SOFTROADERS
All-wheel-drive crossovers and compact SUVs require special attention to their unibody design to get them unstuck without damage. This course focuses on how to get your vehicle moving again without putting either it or yourself in danger.
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Based on Essentials of Off-Road Recovery, this modified class takes you through the basics of self-recovery, and gives you the ability to safely help a friend get out of that “sticky situation,” but with a specific focus on “softroader” vehicles. With hands-on experience in a variety of common scenarios, you will gain confidence and understanding of the techniques and gear used to make all your softroading adventures safer.
Following introductions and housekeeping, the day will start with a review of equipment commonly used in recovery, which will help you figure out what you need. We’ll also take you through the steps of the “stuck assessment 360” and show you how to use that information to formulate and execute a recovery plan. This includes using your OEM scissor jack and even the Hi-Lift jack.
With a basic understanding of common gear and planning, we’ll dive into using some of that gear for interactive demonstrations in Recovery Boards, Kinetic Rope Extraction, and using a Jack for Recovery.
For more information on this course, please email chris.susut@wheelingwisely.ca.
INTERMEDIATE WINCHING
After Essentials of Off-Road Recovery takes you up to basic winch techniques and safety, Intermediate Winching expands on that with double- and triple-line pulls, offset pulls, anchor vehicles, and more.
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Continuing hands-on instruction with guidance from our skilled trainers in a variety of winching scenarios, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to use your winch safely in a recovery situation.
Following introductions and housekeeping, the day will start off with key facts about winching and how to assess a stuck vehicle. From there we will get hands-on! Together with fellow participants, you will be going through some of the most common stuck situations that we come across here in BC.
By the end of this action-packed day, you will have learned new skills, built your confidence, and made new friends. You’ll be better prepared to deal with situations that may come up on your next adventure!
Key Points with Practical Applications
- Synthetic vs. Steel Line
- Gear Ratings
- Mechanical Advantage
- Safety
- Line Shortening Techniques
- Anchor Stress
- How stuck am I?
FOUR WHEELIN’ GURUS
OUR WHEELING WISELY TRAINERS
Region 7a - Omineca (Prince George)
Region 8 - Okanagan (Penticton)
Region 3 - Thompson-Nicola (Enderby)
Region 2 - Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley
Region 2 - Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley
Region 2 - Lower Mainland (Chilliwack/Abbotsford)
Region 3 - Thompson-Nicola (Pritchard)
JOIN US
OUR WHEELING WISELY EVENTS
Check out our WW Events in our event calendar! Learn more about when and where WW events will take place.
RECOMMENDED MATERIAL
We pack a lot of information in a Wheeling Wisely class. The reading and videos listed here will help you get a jump on things and understand more as we go through the day.
How Differentials Work – understand the inner workings of those pumpkins between your wheels.