W.E. Rock? Yes, it certainly does.

World Extreme Rock Crawling brought its precision driving show to the Broken Boulder Farm. Forty-five teams came to ply their rock crawling skills against the tight courses. This was the final western series round to determine who goes to the finals in September near Farmington, New Mexico.

Against the backdrop of the Columbia River Gorge teams gathered on the forested hillsides. The courses were strewn with boulders ranging in size from microwave ovens to a short school bus. And everything in between.

Right - Josh Patt/Tim Hall took a Pro Modified win. Left - Ryan Maxfield/Dave Hurst took 3rd in Unlimited.

Rhet McClish/Scott Peterson flew the Suzuki banner in Sportsman B.

Two Days Of Traction, Articulation, And Teamwork At The Boulder Farms.

For those not familiar with the sport of rock crawling the teams are amazing to watch. A teams is made up of a driver and a spotter. Spotters direct the driver through gates (orange cones) with precision. Spotters do not ride in the vehicle. A spotter can, however, move rocks, logs, and branches within the course to aid traction.

The spotter and driver pre-walk the course to devise their plan of attack.

Scoring is handled by judges who observe every run. Everything is judged and scored from each reverse movement to the nudge of a course cone. Points can be added or subtracted with each action. The lowest score wins.

The Spotter is crucial to watching the tires get through the gates without touching a cone.

After a drivers meeting teams reported to The Boulder Farm boulder fields. There, the A, B, and C courses were laid out. Different classes compete on courses with different degrees of difficulty. Sportsman classes have easier courses that the Unlimited and Pro Modified cars. Not that any of the courses are easy.

Broken Boulder Farm: Between a rock and a hard place.

And sometimes your spotter can help roll you back over on your wheels. But it will cost you points.

Teams took time to walk (climb) the courses and strategize. And from this recon, they would learn how to best navigate the courses. Every team has a ten minute time limit.

Doug Frantum drove and Maverick Frantum spotted. Together they rocked the UTV class taking the win by a sizeable margin. Then they switched rolls and took second place as well. Brylee Mulrony/Jason Mulrony took the third spot.

Sportsman. And Sportswomen.

There are three levels of Sportsman classes. They break down like this according to the W.E. Rock rules.

Krissy Trinka/Tory Trinka took second in Sportsman B.

Sportsman A: is intended for unlimited buggies with any size tires, rear steer or drag axle, single or two seats, with any engine configuration.
Sportsman B: is intended for limited trail buggies; no tire greater than 42” on a two seat vehicle, no tire greater than 40” on a single seat vehicle, NO rear steer allowed; any engine configuration.
Sportsman C: is intended for vehicles with OEM style frames or unibodies, suspension design must mimic OEM (longer springs or link acceptable, +/- 4” from stock. OEM wheelbase, 37” maximum tire size, minimum two seat vehicles only, NO rear steer.

The sport of rock crawling assures a long life journey. Young talent dots the entry lists. Left - Jewell Jenkins. Center - Kendra Winters. Right - Seth Wolfe.

Youth is wonderful. It is a shame to waste it on the young. – Mark Twain

Sportsman C was a most interesting competition. Chris McKenzie/Josh Griffin were locked in a season championship battle with fourteen year old Katelynn Boren and her spotter Kevin Boren. All year, they have been swapping positions at the top of the points. Coming into the Goldendale event, McKenzie started well taking a 37 point lead in the first run.

Katelynn Boren took the lead in points at Goldendale. She posted an excellent second place finish.

In the next three runs, Boren edged closer a little at a time. At the halfway she was within fourteen points of McKenzie. It looked to be a battle for second as Karl Van Petten/Tom Baker looked to be on point for the win. Which they did easily on the last four runs.

Chris McKenzie and Josh Griffin fought valiantly. Their efforts garnered a third place.

Katelynn lost 40 points to McKenzie on the next run. But on the sixth run caught back up with a super clean drive. McKenzie and Griffin fought hard, but the Boren’s were dialed into the Goldendale boulder-field and nabbed the second spot, and the points lead.

Kevin Boren spots for Katelynn as she makes her second place run.

First impressions are everything.

This was this author’s first exposure to the world of rock crawling. After watching just a few competitors work their way through the courses, you get an appreciation for the skill needed.

There is a lot to experience at a rock crawling event. From the action on the boulders, to meeting new people.

Age is no barrier. Seth Wolfe is eight years old; his father Donny spots for him. Seth maneuvers a complicated machine deftly through each course. Several teenagers compete as well. It was impressive to see the broad range of experience on the courses.