That is exactly what needs to happen, but it's next to impossible during EJS. They have the trail 6 days out of 7, we ran it the one day nothing was scheduled. In the future, I would like goneMOAB moved to another week during the year.

That's not the only solution though, as I've trail bossed groups as big as 40 on less difficult trails. We ran into delays on every trail in Moab though, and I was constantly on the radio trying to figure out why the back of the group was a mile behind the front.

It's very difficult as the event coordinator to tell people that they aren't allowed on a trail because their abilities or vehicle aren't up to the task. I don't want people to drive all the way to Moab only to be told to hit the bunny-slope while the rest go run the tough stuff.

I expected people to realize the difficulty of Golden Spike and elect to just run the Poison Spider Loop, but with spotters they manage to get over things and assume the trail is doable. Being spotted through an obstacle doesn't mean the driver is capable of the obstacle though, it only means the vehicle is.

Honestly, if someone requires a spotter to drive an obstacle, they shouldn't be on the obstacle. A spotter should only be used as a second set of eyes after the driver has chosen the correct line. The spotter should never be picking the line.

I would recommend that all the clubs who happen to read this take a weekend and set up a 4X4 101 Class for their members. Find a good spot with some decent obstacles, bring some cones and set up a course. Teach your members how to use momentum (not speed) to their advantage. Teach them how to know when a wheel is just reaching a ledge or shelf or rock and judge how big their vehicle is. Teach them how little throttle really is required to get over something (I saw a lot of wide open throttle at goneMOAB which should never happen).

There's still a lot for everyone to learn.