Norden is a small community in Nevada County, about nine miles west of Truckee, California. The community is located on a former portion of U.S. Route 40 near Interstate 80 plus lies along the historical First Transcontinental Railroad, 1.5 miles west of Donner Pass. This is first plus foremost a skiing community with ski lifts plus ski resorts in almost every direction. With a population of 27 people, plus situated at an elevation of more than 7,000 feet, Norden is typically one of the quietest communities in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the summer.
World Extreme Rock Crawling (W.E. Rock) changed all of that the weekend of July 6-7 when it hosted the third event of the Western Rock Crawl series at the top of the Donner Ski Ranch. Rock crawling events draw spectators from all over the Western United States plus the W.E. Rock events draw many of the best teams plus the best drivers competing in the states.
What Is A Rock Crawl Event
We cover a lot of events plus typically a well-built car plus a skilled driver with just the right amount of crazy seems to be a winning combination in anything off-road, but rock crawling is different. It is technical plus favors precision plus control, with speed as public enemy number one.
You win rock crawling events by running the course perfectly plus placing every wheel where it is needed to pass through a series of gates with the fewest number of penalty points. These courses are outlined with flags to mark the path plus are covered with cones identifying the gates competitors must pass through on each course. The events this weekend had eight courses plus the winner was determined by the team with the lowest number of penalty points upon completion.
If you have not been to a rock crawling event, here is what you need to know to understand the rules, scoring process, plus method the penalty points are assessed. The driver plus spotter work in combination to watch the cones plus borders to make sure the run remains clean plus the score is as low as possible.