Level 3: The Next Step

There are some amazing places to see in the world that require something more than basic off road skills. Examples are nearly endless, but here are a few:

Mosquito Pass, located near Leadville Colorado, is the highest dirt road pass in North America. It’s one of the “crown Jewels” of adventure riding, but it should only be undertaken by someone with “intermediate or better skills because its rocky, it’s very narrow… and has some sheer cliffs to transit along. However, trust us when we say it is an unbelievably rewarding ride that goes way above the timberline… with views that go on forever.

“The Haul Road” to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. This is another of the crown jewels of Adventure because it takes you 300 miles past the Arctic Circle, to the furthest north point in the “Americas” 411 miles each way of marginally maintained dirt road. The Mojave desert, Cinnamon Pass, Engineers Pass, Titus Canyon, Copper Canyon… all these names represent places where wonderful riding exists that is slightly beyond the reach of the “Intro” level rider.

Motorcycles like the BMW GS, KTM 990 Adventure, KLR 650 and other similar bikes are the SUV’s of the 2 wheeled world yet most riders do not come close to utilizing the full capabilities of these remarkable machines.

RawHyde Adventures recognized this fact in 2003, and developed a program called “Adventure camp” to address the lack of formal off road training available in the Adventure Riding community. Our “intro to Adventure” program has been a starting point for thousands of adventure minded riders in the years since.

Most riders who finish our introductory program feel that they have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of riding a big bike off road, but they leave us knowing that they are only beginning their “career” as adventure riders. Becoming a proficient off road rider is not something that occurs overnight; it requires a commitment to ongoing training, practice and application.

The Next Step has been carefully designed to continue the training process where our Intro to Adventure
program wraps up. When riders complete our “intro” program they have a good understanding of the fundamentals of off-pavement riding and a basic level of comfort on logging and forest service type roads of America.

The Next Step addresses the skills necessary to safely increase your speed on the trail and to begin riding some of the more challenging “jeep roads” that are numerous in the back country. This course will improve your ability to assess the terrain in front of you, and also choose the proper path to navigate. We will address riding in rough terrain, deep sand, mud, how to manage “obstacles” and much more.

There are several important elements to focus on if you wish to improve as an Adventure Rider. These are proficiency, finesse, accuracy and control. If you cannot work the controls with proficiency and finesse, or accurately get the bike to go where you want it to, you will become frustrated quickly.

In our basic program (Intro to Adventure) we teach the fundamental techniques necessary to ride “off road” in an easy to moderate controlled environment. The Next Step focuses on total control in a more open environment and on difficult terrain. Difficult terrain is “category 3 to 5”
(Click here for definitions).
In order to ride in difficult terrain a rider must have excellent balance, and be able to perform many tasks simultaneously and hold a precise line.

Why would you want to learn to ride in difficult terrain? Well… there are many reasons – perhaps you want to travel the world? If so you need to know that less than 5% of the worlds roads are paved, and what passes for a “road” in some countries is a rugged 4 wheel drive road by our standards. Beyond “world travel” more than 80% of the infrastructure of America’s national and state parks are unpaved jeep tracks at best.

Accommodations and meals: Arrival Friday evening for orientation dinner. 3-night accommodations (Friday – Sunday). All meals prepared by trained Chefs. All Beverages

Extras: Souvenir shirt, Technology and field repair seminars, Unforgettable camaraderie!