Like a Ford versus Chevy debate we want to spark something new – which is a worse off-road obstacle, silt vs. rocks. There are ways you can look at both, and we will dive into it all and see if there truly is a winner.

The treacherous rocks at King of the Hammers.

For obvious reasons these two course obstacles are drastically different and found on separate courses. For rocks we are not talking about gravel roads or the ones you find on the side of a road, we are talking about the monsters that are out in Johnson Valley, California. The rocks that beat and claim more carnage then any other race at King of the Hammers.

Silt, it is all at one point or another that any off-roader has heard. The Bermuda Triangle of Baja, and something that can turn daylight dark in an instant. Bryce Menzies has said, “A silt bed is like fine baby powder and right when you hit it just explodes into the air and just sits around for a while. If you are chasing someone down in a silt patch you just get blacked out and can’t see anything.

Silt can be found in some parts of the American desert, but nothing compares to the silt in Baja.

Something as extreme as both of these will stop a vehicle in its path. The way a team handles these obstructions can have a greater affect on the outcome of their race. Handle them well and you can succeed, struggle and the terrain will get the best of you.

Both obstacles are at their roots very technical, but require two drastically different driving styles. In the rocks you have to go slow and be methodical with every inch taken. The silt on the other hand needs to be gone through with speed. “You cannot go slow through the silt you’ll never make it,” said Roger Norman, CEO of SCORE.

Regardless of what vehicle you have and the obstacle in front of you you bring the tools needed to get the job done. For the rocks a winch and for the silt tread grips like Maxtrax. Drivers will always thank their recovery gear as with out it these obstacles would get the best of both man and machine.

Can two almost complete opposites be compared, arguments can be made for each side. The way a vehicle is setup depends on the terrain it will be handling as to why rock crawlers and Trophy Trucks do not look a like. Each vehicle is setup for success in their respective race series.

For us, we feel that the silt is something that is out of your control. Depending on wind conditions and vehicles in front of you it can make for a miserable time. For an obstacle to take away your vision and to inhibit your ability to continue at the pace you want puts it over the top in our books.

Maybe this topic sparks up a new debate on what is tougher, rock crawling or desert racing. This debate is surly one that will continue. Which do you think is worse, or do you think that there is something that tops both of these? Tell us in the comments below.