Stuck in snow, advice needed

Up in mammoth trying to make it to a hot spring and got the most stuck I’ve been in snow.

This snow was crusty on top and powder underneath, once I was a good ways into the trail I just started sinking and couldn’t move at all. Tires got dug in a bit and had to dig them out and dig out under the car. Tire pressure was 18. Used my 2 traction boards and it wasn’t working. I kept digging and another car brought another 2 boards. Eventually got out in 4lo + rear diff locked + crawl control + the 4 recovery boards.

Could use some advice for future snow wheeling. Chains I’m guessing would help? And definitely investing in some
nicer traction boards, mine did not survive and are now in pieces lol. Not sure what else would help?

 

Glad you made it out, interested in what advice you’ll get

 

Not much you can do in powder without floatation. The bigger the tire and the lower the pressure, the further you might go. 18 is likely still too high, but much lower and the bead popping comes into play. Don’t think you’ll outfit yourself with gear that would have helped much there today. Just get nice traction boards and have a kinetic strap on hand

 

I'll give you my thoughts - for context I'm up in the arctic on a rural/remote work contract, I do alot of driving in a RWD vehicle with poor ground clearance (we have decent winter tyres though). A big part of it is taking your time, don't be afraid to get out and walk parts of the road your going to drive on, you get a much better perspective. Having a good map helps, and an understanding of where the road/track should be, as the snow drifts can be really deceptive. Momentum is your friend in tricky spots, although make sure the snow drift isn't hiding rocks/ditches etc.

That snow you described, the crust on top and powder underneath, is pretty classic up here and I know exactly what you mean. Best of luck in the future, and please make sure you have good emergency supplies!

 

Snow traxx aside from that the biggest tires you can fit​

 

When we hit snow, we're like at 12psi.

No locker, can be unpredictable and catch traction when you don't expect it.

Full D ring shovel, for getting that snow out from below your skids/diff/etc.

 

Yea chains help but it really can get tricky out there for sure. Lots of people get stuck out there looking for the hot springs…

 

Once you are sitting on your skids, you are screwed. Ca snow is different than everywhere else, “sierra cement”, and will high center your truck. You need wide and tall tires. You have to air down which obviously makes your tire shorter, my 40s when sacked out will measure the same as a 33. I have been snow wheeling for 30 years and big tires and a solid axle are the best snow setup out here.

 

How is your truck set up? Chains may help, but at some point you will reach the limit of your truck’s ability to traverse the terrain. If you are plowing a crust while sinking in powder, that limit may come sooner then you think.
The pressure you air down to will also depend on the tire load range. An E has a stiff sidewall and may not lengthen the contact patch much. Tall skinnies, may be a good bet as they will get down to the ground and have a greater contact patch length. You can only go so tall though, and you might just get stuck further down the trail.
I’ve been all over the Eastern Sierra back country, and one thing I can tell you is don’t get stuck out there without someone knowing where you are or a buddy vehicle. The Sierra can be unforgiving of mistakes.

 

I work for a ski resort and drive on a lot of snow.

My 1st bit of advice would be to never head out in snow without warm clothing and gear. Cotton hoodies, no hats or gloves, and slides on your feet aren't going to be very helpful. Trust someone who has had frostbite....you don't want it.

 

I thought Pro's didn't get stuck

 

Can't do much once you're up on skids.

Usually when you go in a group the lowest will start to report bottoming out, once it does completely you make a new route or turn around.

 

Also make sure you don't yee when you should haw, if you know what I mean....

 

Always walk it first. Good advice.

Wide tires and air down.

Not much else you are going to do to avoid this outside of knowing where not to drive unless your rig is capable.

 

Looks like you brought some helpful gear. The main one being the girl shoveling while all of the guys look lost and cold with their hands in their pockets. Lol.

 

100%

Didn’t see the slides until you posted… immediate face palm

 

Yeah. If you're sinking through crust and spinning in the powder below you're not going anywhere unless your tires can dig deep enough bit bite into the base surface. Chains ... maybe but they still need something to bite into. This is also a problem when firm roads start to thaw out. Really big / wide tires aired down to 6-8 might float, but that's not really a practical setup for our trucks. Check out Matt's Offroad recovery on youtube (no affiliation, just find it fun to watch) for some pretty entertaining snow rescues (and mud and sand). You'll see that even pretty well equipped vehicles get really stuck when the snow gets deep enough.

https://www.youtube.com/c/MattsOffRoadRecovery/featured

 

I love Mammoth!

Not much you can really do in deep snow. Snow is not like sand or mud. The advice here is pretty good but won't cover all situations. Lower PSI will only do so much. I've high centered my truck a couple of times in the snow. My best advice is to know when to gun it, know when to take your time, and carry a good shovel.

 

If the snows too deep to get traction the only other alternative is to try to float. Think this over unless you have a way to get air again there’s no going back. Gotta be real easy on the throttle once you get free. Be careful.

 

Now that is a proper winter shovel. The little spades people like to bolt on their roofs are adorable. I keep an old steel BC avalanche shovel in my truck. It's nice because it is sturdy but small enough to fit underneath the truck to get under the axles and diffs.