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I might have to search him out. Thanks for the great advice! I've had four wheel drive vehicles for the last forty years, but I consider myself an "experienced beginner". Started off wheeling in an old CJ-5 in high school driving around the coal mines of the Appalachians. I don't need the 101 class, because I've probably done everything stupid in that class that they warn you about! I'd rather focus on the tech and how best to use it in any given situation.
I did the Monterey one and I wouldn't recommend it personally. Very dry and dusty and not super unique. I have heard great things about the Biltmore location and would recommend that one based on what instructors and others have mentioned.
I am planning to do the one at the Equinox (Manchester, VT) when my D90 arrives...likely will do in the spring....'Mud Season' in Vermont!: )
I did LR Driving School (or whatever it was called back then) in 2004 at The Greenbrier in WV and it was awesome. That was driving their trucks and I was in a new RR.
I’ve done the Biltmore one and would absolutely do it again. We upgraded to the 4 hour course for our complementary one (paid for the additional 2 hours) and did one owners day. The owners day was great as they split all the LR vehicles up into three difference classes - all Defenders were grouped together and we did some of the more difficult and challenging trails. While I’m definitely still very much a novice the day was a ton of fun and the scenery around the Biltmore was beautiful. You also have the benefit of knowing they’re not going to put you and you vehicle in a situation where damage can occur.
I’ve also talked to Ben about doing his course as well, just couldn’t make the dates work last year. He was at the Owners day and was great. For our experience we had another gentleman that was equally as good and he’s the one that’s taken over for Ben at the Biltmore. Wish I could find his name because he was great. I’ve also looked at doing a full day at the Biltmore just to get some more experience. Truly a great time and so much to do in the area. I’d recommend staying in Brevard if spending a few days in the area.
In February 2022, I did the Land Rover Experience Vermont for a bachelor party and it was an awesome time. We did the 2 hr experience, but I would definitely go back.
In fact, so fun that placed to my Defender order the next month
Good plan! I don't know how it is now, but the day I went was a weekday, don't remember which, and I was the only student. 90 miles of trails, one student, pretty good ratio!
Grouse, I just told them I wanted a 110 with full off-road packs (I don't even remember what they're all called now, but I have everything on mine and wanted everything on the truck I was learning on.) I got a P300, but other than that it was pretty much identical to mine mechanically. I don't know how many Defenders they have, but they also have Discos and RRs, and maybe they have one of everything.
The cat who did my training, Ben Wooten, is the former head of the Asheville Experience, but went out on his own and started Classic 4x4 Instruction. He does that on two different sites, in VA and NC. But JLR calls him back for, according to him, "overflow situations, or when they have a particularly experienced customer coming in who wants to go right to the advanced traction part of the course, and not spend time on the Intro To Offroad Driving part."
I say this to a) recommend Ben highly for any LRE course if he's available. I would ask specifically for him if I was signing up. And b) recommend Ben independent of the Land Rover Experience to anyone who wants to take it to the next level after their LRE day, and c) to recommend that you be very thorough in explaining your level of experience accurately in an email when you are signing up, along with what you believe you want to cover. If you are newer to off-roading, tell them of exactly how much and what type experience you have. Ditto if you've been at it a long time. It sounds like they try to tailor the experience to your needs, at least if it's a time when they have the band-width to be selective.
For anyone who wants private instruction with Ben I'll pass along his contact so you can talk with him and see if he would be a good fit: Classic 4x4 Offroad Instruction No affiliation whatsoever other than an endorsement of his abilities as a teacher.
Cheers!
Good information. Please pass along Ben's contact details. Thank you.
