SAFETY & RESPONSIBILITY

WHEELING WISELY

A DREAM GIVEN FORM

Since the 4WDABC’s inception 46 years ago, education has been a key component of what we stand for: safe and responsible wheeling.

For the past several years, we’ve worked to update the old Driver’s Manual and 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 the fall of 2018, after a two-year research and vetting process, we engaged the International 4 Wheel Drive Trainers Association to visit us here in Beautiful BC. Together with the Three Amigos (Michael Block, Will Gillette, Dan Griffin) and Izzy Sanchez, Chris Cole and the legendary Bill Burke spent an intensive week with 17 of our members from all over BC, 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 including both courses.

A COURSE FOR YOU

WHEELING WISELY COURSES

Our 2023 schedule is still being finalized, but we expect to have dates in the Fraser Valley, Kamloops, Prince George, Vancouver Island, and Apex Resort. Watch the schedule for new dates to be posted.

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.

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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, and simple recovery.

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 the basics of vehicle recovery using a recovery strap, 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.

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This 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”. 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 onto winching. During this session, our skilled instructors will teach you about winching safety including a review of gear and hand signals, before executing a double line pull demo. After the demo, we’ll break into small groups in which you’ll set up and perform a double line pull on your own vehicles under the guidance of our skilled instructors.

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!

FOUR WHEELIN’ GURUS

OUR WHEELING WISELY TRAINERS

Chad Achtemichuk
Wheeling Wisely / I4WDTA Trainer
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Region 7a - Omineca (Prince George)
Chris Susut
Wheeling Wisely / I4WDTA Trainer
Finbar O’Sullivan
Wheeling Wisely Trainer
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Region 8 - Okanagan (Penticton)
Greg Sutfin
Wheeling Wisely Trainer
Jason Belanger
Regions / Wheeling Wisely Trainer
Kim Reeves
President / Wheeling Wisely / I4WDTA Trainer
Matt Ion
Communications / Wheeling Wisely Trainer
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Region 2 - Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley
Mike Brent
Wheeling Wisely Trainer
Pete Goudswaard
Membership / Wheeling Wisely Trainer
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Region 2 - Lower Mainland (Chilliwack/Abbotsford)
Rachelle Tomm
Wheeling Wisely Trainer
Richard Sheridan
Wheeling Wisely / I4WDTA Trainer
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Region 3 - Thompson-Nicola (Pritchard)
Tim Lund
Wheeling Wisely / I4WDTA Trainer
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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.