Blanca Run 7-14-07
 

This weekend 8 of us from the Rockfrogs went up Blanca. It was a great day and the trail was a lot of fun, and no carnage. A few pics of the Toyotas. All of the photos are here: http://www.rockfrogs.org/phpBB2/view...t=1777&start=0

http://www.thexota.org/d/6342-1/100_4323.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...mbingJaws1.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...gJaws2pic3.jpg
http://www.thexota.org/d/6411-1/100_4347.jpg
http://www.thexota.org/d/6438-1/100_4356.jpg
http://www.thexota.org/d/6552-1/100_4394.jpg
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http://www.thexota.org/d/6609-2/100_4414.jpg
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http://www.thexota.org/d/6735-1/100_4455.jpg
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http://www.thexota.org/d/6939-1/100_4524.jpg

Great pics - thanks for posting. What are the chances of an IFS on 33's making it up w/o carnage?:laugh: :dunno:

Are you locked?? My 4Runner (crap brown one in the pictures with no top) is on worn down 33's. Jaws 1 ate my underbelly (too small of tires and too much wheelbase at 109"). CubuffRunner walked the entire trail on 36's, locked F&R, and dual crawler. I had to have some buddies rock me over Jaws 1. I was fine on Jaws 2 and 2.5. I tried to take the toughest line on Jaws 3 and it didn't work. I just took the tough line instead :hillbill:

Jaws 4 ate me up as well. Not from tire size but tire grip. My bald TSL's filled with mud didn't work so well.

Blanca is a very tough trail. The obstacles aren't the toughest in the state but that "mess up and you're dead" feeling is there most of the trail.

Ric, this trail is much more difficult than Carnage Boulder in the sense that you cannot take a "bypass" on some of the gnarliest parts.

I think the phrase volcom used sums it up pretty well. "mess up and you're dead."

If i had a rating system, i'd rate carnage boulder moderate, this trail difficult.

Guys, awesome pics!!

Any of you fish? If so, how was it up at the lake? I want to get up there and camp out and fish.

I'd be down for sure. I'd make a camping trip out of it, since i'd want to fish and possibly climb Blanca. However we can start a new thread, and not clutter this one.

Bump for great pictures.

I fished at Como and caught 5 in about an hour or so... As far as dificulty it would be tough for ifs on 33's, but you can make it a good majority of the way up untill Jaws 1 where there is some parking and then walk up the rest of the way. As Volcom said the obsticals aren't the hardest, but a little slip or screw up and you will be rolling down a steep hill.

After driving it, you wouldn't get me behind an IFS rig on 33's locked only in the rear. That's just my opinion though. I know people have done it before in the past but I like my lockers and Longfields :bigok:

Stay tuned for some more pictures. A friend of my brothers was taking pictures on the trip and he hasn't gotten all of them off of his camera yet. I'm waiting for a picture of me rear wheel standing down Jaws 3. It's this obstacle but going downhill.

http://www.thexota.org/d/6735-1/100_4455.jpg

Boulder Carnage is a cakewalk compared to Blanca :D There is only one bypass for Jaws 3, other than that, you have to attempt all the other major obstacles.

Imagine Guardian Rocks on a narrow trail (maybe 1.5 to 2X width of your truck) that's off camber, with a couple hundred foot drop next to you and you've just had to drive through a small mud puddle getting your tires nice and greasy. That's about sums it up :bigok:

Blanca makes the list of the top 10 according to CO4X4 ... don't even see Boulder Carnage mentioned...

http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=33591

Here is a good video of the trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnKRS9N80bw

Sweet vid and trail. Thans for sharing.

care to divulge a general Local. I wanna do this someday. Looks like a blast.

Sick Run Guys... Looks like you are all doing Holy Cross this August. We are hitting it next weekend but might have to do it again ;)

No problem! The guy that puts those videos together does a very good job!

Let us know when you come to CO to run it. We can lead the way.

Yup, Holy Cross and probably BV Carnage. :saw: My 4Runner is going to be toast after this season. But that's what I build it for.

Pictures look great gents. Rig looks killer with the tube doors, Jeff.

Branch out. Carnage at Boulder is a trail to run to test things close to home, Holy Cross, Iron Chest and Chinamen's are the trails to take full bodied trucks on and push them.

Great pics and video. Can really see how you have to be placed just right on some of those obstacles.

I assume you come back down the same way... or is there another route creating a loop...?

Blanca is an out and back - so yes, you have to come DOWN all those obstacles too...

i heard it was scary coming down, can an ifs 4runner on 33s with front and rear lockers and a crawler do this trail?

Most of the obsticals were pretty easy to come down, Jaws 2 was the only one that was worse for us going down. There was water and mud on the high side of the obstical so our tires were slick coming down, and when you get on top of the rock the rigs wanted to slide off the side of the rock. The last rig took the lower line and it wasn't as bad, but then you are really close to the edge.

I think you could do it, but would struggle in some spots. Jaws 1 is all about ground clearance. You can go low, but you get really close to the edge and off camber.