Moab Bronco Safari 2024 is on life support

[BGBronco]

Same for SC East. Anyone new to the event in the last two years thinks it's the best thing ever and were amazed at how 900 broncos were capable getting together in one place, the drives, etc. Anyone who's been their prior to the previous two years knows how crowded it is now. Still very well organized, but it's not what it was. From lodging difficulties to food difficulties, crowded drives with no room to park along some of the drives, it's not for the better IMO.

I agree. I thought they did a good overall job managing the number of broncos at SC but they needed tp scale the food, facilities, etc by 3x what they had.

 

[Yeller]

If that's what it takes. I think there were over 300 this year. I didn't see a count for 22 but it must have been a manageable number. I'm guessing it was usually 100 or less prior to 21?

They could come up with a minimum participant vs staff ratio too, so the event can only grow when staff is added. Anything to clamp down and show the commission that we're serious about doing it right.

I remember a year of 30 and I brought 5 of them with me. They had 1 official trail ride for 1 day.

 

[Scoop]

The elephant in the room is the 6Gs, and in addition to the newbies, I theorize that the way they were marketed as the "go fast" offroad option brought in some rowdier people.

And it is fun to go fast in them, I get it.

SC West did have a lot of 6G's there but I didn't notice any increase in rowdiness. I think SC West was about 300 total Broncos. All the 6G's seemed to be well behaved. I never heard any complaints either.

 

[ssray]

The elephant in the room is the 6Gs, and in addition to the newbies, I theorize that the way they were marketed as the "go fast" offroad option brought in some rowdier people.

2nd that….most of the Truck/SUV commercials have video racing along roads or trails. One recent one has the vehicle sliding to a stop at a cliff. Totally stupid!!!

 

[nvrstuk]

Sent a pm, don’t want to step on anyone with specifics in an open forum. Was not part of the official event but was full of participants. The damage was limited to drivelines but the damage was significant, enough to make for difficult recovery and not drove out on their own. All from a “leader” that had no business doing it and a group of sheep that kept following instead of saying wait, your an idiot.

I'll step. lol I think this type of wheeling should be addressed in drivers meetings at the event.

We had a run on Kane Creek that the spotter had 6 carnages- 5 in a row. The same rock (same spot every year) on Hamburger HIll- same spot. Same spotter kept encourging rigs to keep trying as they "almost got it". So he kept them bouncing and grenading parts. None of these guys (except one) had the build to bounce and survive.
Well, none of them almost got it and we spent 4+ hours repairing axles and driveshafts and much worse, clogging up the trail and towing guys out. Come on, use your winch just like you use your selectable- thats what it's for. Not to clog the trail up for 4 hours w/o a chance of making it. Or drive along the edge easily and safely. I"m not politically correct sometimes.

 

[nvrstuk]

But this isn't "SC West", it's Moab Safari. I emailed Richard and asked what the problems were.

They were at the Spanish Trail site. Window issues, breakage of landscaping, bad attitude toward a person working there, people working on a vehicle after the event was over, going too fast at the event, etc. This is mainly a HORSE area, not a "Bronco Horse" arena

I like the Event but to me, IMO the #'s are getting too large. I don't care if EJS can handle 1,000's of rigs. I like the commaradery when the #'s are smaller.

I can tell ya that when at an obstacle and the EB's have trail doors or windows down, stop and chat with each and every one of guys/gals waiting that it's sure a LOT different than walking past the 6G guys who have the dark tinted windows rolled up tight and the AC going and never get out of their rigs.... lot different... obviously not all but enough that it was noticed by quite a few.

 

[nvrstuk]

Hi Everyone,

I've been to a few Bronco Safaris. I thought Steve and Utah Bronco Club did a great job. There's a lot more work that goes into an event like that than most people understand.

We've been coming to Labor Day Safari in Moab since 2011. We've gotten to know quite a few of the Red Rock 4-Wheelers. They run their events in ways that are good (and needed) for a continuing event, but, bad for people who don't want structured rules. RR4Ws get criticized because they are so structured; but, a lot of that structure comes from lessons learned at past events, including litigation related to the club activities. It gets pretty serious.

Yeller hit the nail on the head... each person at these events represents the event, and anything they do will be associated with that group. 99 people can follow the rules and then there's one or two who don't. It's the one or two who are remembered.

I wasn't at the '22 or '23 Bronco Safaris... it sounds like there were a lot of 6Gs. At the '21 event there were just a few. Maybe there could be two different events, one for the EBs and the other for the 6Gs?

It would be a real shame for Bronco Safari to be absent in 2024.

Jeff

Looking at having 2 separate events is being discussed as an option according to the club.

I've been gone for 10 days but got Steve's email about the permit denial too. Sad to hear this as the entire club puts in SOOO much time and effort each year into the Event. I don't make it every year but my first year was '04 (I think) before this club got involved.

 

[DirtDonk]

Friend just sent me a link to a Bronco pic on flicker kind of highlighting the problem. But from way back before probably most of us thought there was a problem.
Taken in 1972 in I believe Utah (did not read all the details) but showcasing what some have been fighting pretty much since the beginning.

https://flic.kr/p/6P3xqe
(edit: devils dune area)

 

[DirtDonk]

Interesting. The link showed up at first, then I edited it to add a detail, now it does not show up.
I'll refresh, but here it is again just in case.

https://flic.kr/p/6P3xqe

 

[nvrstuk]

I could see the pic.

I gotta admit, humans freakin' TRASH the planet but I've also got to say not many people understood desert or other ecosystems like we do today and the damage caused by not staying on a trail in the desert 51 yrs ago.

I'm sure if there were cameras 300 yrs ago I could have gotten pics of herds of wild animals traipsing across the desert destroying the crust or pics from
100 yrs ago of ranchers sheep or cattle doing the same.

We need to focus on 2023 and the future and how can we keep this from happening.

It's a mess . I talk to guys that don't believe ANYthing that science backs because they say it's just for govt control.
WHAT do you do to keep THESE guys (& others) from ruining our ability to keep trails open?

 

[gnpenning]

Interesting. The link showed up at first, then I edited it to add a detail, now it does not show up.
I'll refresh, but here it is again just in case.

https://flic.kr/p/6P3xqe

Paul, I want to thank you for the link. I spent some time going through the pictures. This was close to the time when I was first introduced to Moab. Dad had cobbled together pickups and a garage built camp that he took us around the country trying to show us the States. In 72 he bought a new F250 and we really started to travel in earnest. Many of the places in the pictures my Dad took us kids more than once and I later took my own. Great memories.

In the early 90s during the EJS they really stressed staying on the roads and not walking just anywhere.

Thanks.

 

[Tricky Dick]

The Moab Safari is officially cancelled for 2024 and they are moving it to another location. More to come.

 

[nvrstuk]

The Moab Safari is officially cancelled for 2024 and they are moving it to another location. More to come.

UTB figures their next event will be 7 weeks after the Safari normally occurs. This is the end of June...in Utah! Can you spell HOT? We already go up in the snow in the San Rafael's to cool off instead of hitting a trail when it's 90deg at 11am. Won't bother 6G's with AC tho. Hoping everything works out as these guys put so much effort into it. Just don't need 500 "Broncos" to have a fun event. That was going to be the cutoff number for this year according to Steve and Richard.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Just don't need 500 "Broncos" to have a fun event.

Trail rides were already painfully slow this year. I wasn't planning on going out on Safari rides next year.

I'm debating still going in May, a bunch of guys I know were planning on it no matter the outcome for the official event.

 

[nvrstuk]

I still have my reservations for that week also.
Regarding the post saying "...don't show up with your Bronco that week so we can show Grand County..." yeah, right. They won't miss us. There's already another group overlapping onto that week that pre-empted a bunch of guys reservations that they've had for a decade and they were already upset- no fault there- but we won't be missed economically in a year.

 

[Scoop]

Mixed feelings on this. Sure hate to lose an established Bronco event but my experience with the trail rides was not good. Too many people on the rides and the trail guides on the rides I was on were not experienced guides - basically the front Bronco only with no or very little help offered to anyone needing guidance or spots. No surprise some of the rides got out of hand. We finally broke off and did trails in a smaller group on our own. That said, it was awesome to be in Moab with hundreds of other Broncos in town. Really hope the new location works out and Bronco Safari lives on!

 

[nvrstuk]

Well said Scoop. My feelings and the same from many of the guys that I go with each year... "bigger ain't always better".

Take care

 

[Scoop]

Well said Scoop. My feelings and the same from many of the guys that I go with each year... "bigger ain't always better".

Take care

When I told the trail guide that we were breaking off into a smaller group he was actually happy for us to do it! I think he was overwhelmed.

 

[nvrstuk]

Yeah, it more than doubled from '22 to '23 and then proposed another 70% increase for '24.

I talked to a couple of those trail guides (I know several of us on this site who have been trail guides for the Safari) and in a nutshell would back up what we've been saying.

I am keeping my reservations as I'm not too excited to go wheeling on rock w/o shade in 90deg temps at 11am at the end of June.


We will see what they come up with. Just enjoy mtg guys who have built their EB's from around the US.

 

[Tricky Dick]

We will see what they come up with. Just enjoy mtg guys who have built their EB's from around the US.

I'll be in my 6G next year but I still hope to run into you.