Surviving the trail: Mahindra Adventure Off-Road Training Academy

Surviving The Trail

 

 

Packed with work all week long, the only thing that got me through to the weekend was the thought of a small getaway, somewhere far away from the hustle-bustle of Bombay. So when Mahindra Adventure sent us an invite to undergo off-road training at its Igatpuri facility, I remember being all giddy with excitement and packing my raingear and heavy-duty boots for the two-day slush fest that lay ahead. 

 

 

The Off-Road Training Academy is run by former motoring journalist Manish Sarser and his band of enthusiastic and highly skilled instructors.

 

 

Their fleet includes both stock and modified Thar CRDEs that are exploration ready, so there’s plenty of choice depending on your level of experience.

 

 

As for the courses, the academy offers different kinds to choose from. There’s Getting Dirty which is a basic level course for first timers and then there’s the Trail Survivor Course wherein the theory is more technical as you learn more about vehicle dynamics and driving techniques.

 

 

We signed up for the 2-day Trail Survivor Course which also covers the basic level on day 1. It was an intensive, fun, and really useful day. The first hour or two was spent on theory – Manish had all the patience in the world to brief us about what it takes to go off-road safely. Besides covering rudimentary off-road terms like 4x4 system and off-road tyres, we got some insights on the hub locks, high gear vs low gear, differentials, and the sorts. By the end of the theory session, we developed a fairly good idea on how these parts were connected.

 

Now the teaching method undoubtedly is concise and easy-to-understand, but it’s the practical side of the exercises that are the more challenging parts.

 

 

The pre-event briefing gave all the participants an idea of the four arduous obstacles which we were going to face; now that may not sound like much but they are plenty indeed when you are traversing up and down a hill most of the time and doing pedestrian speeds. Off- roading, after all, is all about going slow, savouring the experience and getting the thrills at a walking pace.

 

 

With the briefing done, it was time to head over to the fleet of heavily used Thars (including ones with nearly a lakh kilometres on the odo, we were told). Having made the run for a clean looking, flat-fender style example, I jumped in with heavy anticipation and buckled up for the day. 

 

 

The first obstacle we encountered was dubbed ‘Home Run’ wherein we were told to climb down a near-vertical nose drop, make a 3-point turn and climb back up again the other side. As with all exercises, Manish demonstrated before we each had a go.

 

 

It all looked easy and straightforward until I lined up the Thar before the pit. Now the obstacle was so narrow that all of us ended up brushing the bumpers and the fenders against the soft soil. 

 

 

The next obstacle is conveniently called ‘Zig Zag Hill’, aimed straight at testing the driver’s nerve-racking limit and the Thar’s crawling potential, for all it was worth. The obstacle, in fact, required the participants to go up an incredibly slippery incline full of wet soil. To make things harder still, we had to navigate round an extremely slippery section which was a result of all the cars that got beached on previous occasions. 

 

 

Common sense will tell you that using heavy throttle while going up a slippery hill is not the answer and it became very clear on the first demonstration as Manish piloted a Scorpio in 4x4 low by walking alongside it! Having reached the crawling speed in 4WD low, he simply steered the big heavy SUV round the hill in a controlled manner. He’s brave. 

 

 

The trick here, then, was to be extremely careful and precise with the vehicle’s track and put your faith in the engine braking even while coming down the slippery hill.

 

 

Looking at others trying to progress their way up the slippery incline and endlessly spinning the wheels in the process, it was then I realised what I was really up against. I went for it, nevertheless. The Thar just eased its way up to the halfway point before starting to lose traction and digging into the wet soil. Eventually, it took me a couple of attempts and a slightly burnt clutch to pass through the obstacle. 

 

 

Moving on to the third obstacle: Pond Rush. Here we had to come down a slope, go left and dive into a deep slush pit and come through in the best possible way. Naturally, I decided to tackle the slush pit by carrying a steady momentum and not getting carried away by simply flooring it. Some of the fellow participants, however, thought otherwise.

 

 

They ended up lodging their vehicles deep within the bowels of the pit. Even the good old fashioned rocking technique was of no use as the tiniest amount of throttle had the wheels digging in further in the slush pit.

 

 

The evening panned out with ever-more challenging tracks in-between trees, down hills and through puddles. We discovered several new terrains as we continued to explore this vast facility. What’s more, the rain simply added to the challenge - a dry, warm day sometimes isn’t ideal since you end up kicking so much dust. 

 

 

Despite my limited off-road experience, I hadn’t been nervous during the build-up. Instead, I had underestimated how much the Thar moves around with just a tad bit of throttle. All in all, day 1 was about conquering the machines. The step-by-step approach was ideal at first, creating a base from which to add with each lesson.

 

 

Day 2 began with more of the much needed tips and tricks that came in handy throughout the rest of the day. Railway Crossing turned out to be one of my favourite obstacles as it was spread over a fairly lengthy track and required both 4WD low and high range to get through. 

 

 

One of the most crucial considerations while off-roading is the recovery process. We got a deep understanding on how to winch a vehicle, with Manish deliberately positioning his Scorpio 4x4 in a large ditch and using the back-up Bolero (equipped with a winch) to pull it out in the safest and most effective way.

 

 

Interestingly, the winch rating is supposed to be twice the towing vehicle’s weight as it takes extra pulling power to rescue a beached vehicle. 

 

 

Manish also gave us a crash course on hand signals that off-roaders, specifically a spotter uses, while the driver navigates through a tricky, uneven track.

 

 

The ‘handwork’ certainly came in handy (no pun intended) while going down this steep muddy ditch which meant I had to put the Thar in tripod mode, with the left rear wheel up in the air.

 

 

After hours of climbing slippery hills and crawling over big boulders, we lined up for the finale that was the slush pit. Here we had to drive through a rather narrow course that was full of craters the size of small hot tubs. And to top it all, the Thar had to be driven through a sharp right hander near the end of the course. 

 

 

The trick here was to feed in the throttle in accordance with the load on the axles and the available traction. With two wheels often suspended in the air, traction was low but with its lockable rear diff, the Thar handled the course without much trouble. 

 

 

Following two days-worth of mud plugging with the Thars, couple of Scorpios and the good old Bolero, I eventually gained poise and found myself deeply immersed in this one-of-a-kind experience, sliding to left and right with showers of sticky brown mud flying off the wheels.

 

 

In the end, we all gained plenty of technical know-how and experience in driving off-road, not to mention a newfound respect for the Thar, which took everything in its wake like an invincible giant.

 

 

In conclusion, a big thanks to Mahindra Adventure, Manish Sarser and his team for all the learnings and practice. Click here for the official Off-Road Training Academy webpage.