One after another the other adventurous (and a little crazy) drivers gave High Dive a go! There were a few that
made it, a few that backed down, and a Bruiser with a turbo diesel 4 cylinder that snapped a dana 60 universal joint.
The guys that made it to the top were greeted with cheers of victory for conquering the best. Chad was manning his
post at the top, eager to pull a line and really make sure everyone winch was working properly! While some of the
drivers were slowly negotiating the lower half of the obstacle, Chad even helped a fellow wheeler passing by trouble
shoot his trusty Warn winch that was acting up. The cable was spooled on the wrong direction, and the solenoid that
activates the winch to spool out was fried. The good news was that the winch motor was not damaged, and it was a
simple fix once a solenoid was sourced.
The half of the group that was still left at the bottom helped the Bruiser get around on the bypass, which is nothing
to overlook just because it is called the bypass! It is still a technical section that can get you into a pickle if you’re not
careful. It was great end to the day as we hit the switch backs down the mesa and back toward the highway to end
the day!
The fun had just begun though, that was just day 1. There were still 7 more days of Easter Jeep Safari left to go! Not
to mention the vender show at the rodeo arena Thursday and Friday. Warn was prepared to show off all of their new
winch technology in the Zeon series of winches as well as a multitude of accessories and killer Warn apparel. Jessi
was there as well meeting fans, swapping stories, and signing posters for anyone who cared to stop and say hello!
It was a great opportunity to shake hands and put a face with so many people that I had interacted with over the
last few years over the phone at Warn, ARB, and Skyjacker suspension. These were all good people who had always
gone out of their way to provide service to their customers that defines who they are as a business. This was an
environment that offered a different perspective of those people though. They were just out wheeln having a good
time like anybody else. Chad from Warn even said to me at one point during the day, “ I don’t get it, who would want
to wheel with us?” It was a genuine question that was very humbling. The truth of the matter is that on an individual level everyone in the business of offroading equipment got into the business for the same reason. We all love to
wheel! Those are the kind of people you want building the parts that you use and trust every time you lock it into
4-Low. Why was it cool to wheel with all of these great people on a cold and dreary day on the Moab rocks? It’s very
simple really, everyone who was there was representing their companies who support the average Joe’s passion
(and sickness) for the sport. Even better than that though, everyone I talked to from Warn, ARB, Skyjacker, Clemson
4 Wheel, Benchmade, Bower Media, and especially Ms. Jessi Combs herself were all the most down to earth, personable, and FUN people that I had the pleasure of joining on the trail. We are all in this sport for the same reason:
“Because you love it!” -Jessi Combs
April 2014
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