Ranger Club UK Pay & Play Event at Avalanche Adventure
To start 2022’s events off, we headed to Avalanche Adventure; a private 10 acre quarry with 3 acre adjoining woodland, located in Sibbertoft - Leicestershire.
It’s an awesome site that was dug out in the early 1990’s to help build the local part of the A14. Since then it’s been used as an off-road course; developing slowly over time. They also have public pay & play days along with various other activities such as quad biking, air rifle shooting, hover crafting and more.
Arriving at the rural site, the gravel entrance road leads you straight to the quarry - then going around past the facilities to the camping area. Because we have members located far and wide, for this event we also organised camping for the night before. For the members who camped, it was a cold evening combated by alcohol, campfires and BBQ food. Everyone came together to cook and talk about the event ahead. All our members are from different backgrounds but share a common interestt; being Rangers, it’s great at events as people have great stories to tell and lessons to teach / learn. Campers woke to a frosty morning and icy tents with remaining members arriving for the event start at 9am.
The quarry site comprises of various terrain and obstacles such as water crossings, sandy mud, tight forest trails and the most challenging being ‘The Mountain’ in the rough centre. We had 20 vehicles attend with still ample space in the quarry. Members explored the site at their own pace taking on each of the challenges when they built up the confidence.
We were advised to steer clear of ‘The Mountain’ due to how steep it was, with a sheer drop on the other side. Because of excessive use, there were also some deep tyre ruts left on the approach. As the Ford Ranger has a pretty long wheelbase; at around 3m, it doesn't have the greatest break-over angle, this could result in a vehicle becoming stranded, balancing at the top. Although advised not to tackle it, our members don’t back down from a challenge! The first member gave it a try, working out the best way to navigate the tyre ruts. Soon everyone was comfortable with The Mountain and we didn’t have any vehicles get stuck.
As always, this event was a great opportunity for members to view each other's rigs, modifications and customisations. Such as new member Aaron B with the eye-catching stock T6 in orange; showing just how capable these trucks we share a passion for are, or Matthew B, a long term member with highly capable, lifted Ranger with recovery gear. The different ideas and opportunities to make these trucks unique are endless and these sort of play days are the perfect environment to share these visions. Some members have opted for a snorkel to assist in navigating deeper waters whilst others prefer lifting the truck; since we all know every inch counts 😉.
When member Jayson F got stuck in a deep muddy challenge, other members rushed together to assist in a quick and swift recovery using Matt B’s winch and John H as an anchor for the winch vehicle.
Attendee Dave in his Land Rover Discovery looked to take on one of the water pits but on the approach from the ‘Starting Hills’; damaged his steering components. Luckily help was on hand from member Matt B and Matt from the Avalanche team. The vehicle was jacked up before removing the snapped tie rod and bent centre link. The tie rod was taken to the nearby Avalanche workshop to be welded back together and the centre link had to be straightened (as well as possible).
Another member Matt T had an argument with a tree and picked up some nasty damage to his off-side doors on the ‘Scratchy side trail’.
Despite the small amounts of collective damage that we picked up, everyone had a great day! For some it was the first time off-roading so a brilliant experience and chance to learn more about their vehicle. For others it was a chance to get out and socialise with new people. As the event concluded, we held a small raffle to give back to the members who support us. Over 10 prizes were given out which had been provided by this event’s sponsor; Style My Ranger.
