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Advanced Recovery Techniques
Advanced Recovery Techniques - Sat. Mar 28 is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Makes a great gift. Gift cards available.
Advanced Recovery Techniques
Go farther, smarter
An immersive, hands-on recovery and driving course overlanders who are ready to tackle challenging terrain, remote travel, and real-world recovery scenarios with confidence.
Over two days, you’ll gain critical skills for navigating rugged trails, understanding vehicle dynamics, using recovery gear effectively, and making smart decisions when the trail gets tough.
What You’ll Learn
Advanced Rigging & Winching
- Multi-line winch pulls and direction changes
- Anchoring techniques when no natural anchors exist (deadman, ground anchors, spare tire anchors)
- Mechanical advantage systems (2:1, 3:1, 4:1)
- Tensioning, load calculations, and line-angle forces
- Winching from unfavorable angles or limited space
Complex Stuck Scenarios
- Recoveries on severe cambers or shelf roads
- Recovering a vehicle that has slid sideways
- Stabilizing and recovering a partially tipped van
- Mud extractions where the van has suctioned into the terrain
- Sand recoveries during heat or high-load situations
Safety, Assessment, and Decision-Making
- Reading terrain before committing
- Structural integrity assessment during recoveries
- Load path hazard identification
- When to stop a recovery and reconfigure
- How to spot for others under stress
- Working safely with multiple people and rigs on-scene
Advanced Gear Application
- Proper use of soft shackles vs bow shackles in specific scenarios
- Dynamic vs static rope selections and force implications
- High-capacity recovery boards: advanced techniques and stacking
- Kinetic recovery techniques with calculated forces
- Rearward recoveries with limited rigging opportunities
Specialty Scenarios
- Night recoveries and low-visibility operations
- Snow recoveries including deep-snow extraction
- Water recoveries: safety, risk, and step-by-step extraction
- Long-distance recoveries where the van can’t self-drive out
Team-Based Recovery Operations
- Coordinating multi-rig recoveries
- Communicating under pressure
- Assigning roles: operator, safety, anchor lead, spotter
Post-Recovery Protocols
- Equipment inspection and field maintenance
- Winch rope care and failure signs
- Assessing vehicle condition before continuing on the trail
Location: Snoqualmie Area, WA
Practice your recovery skills in diverse terrain. You’ll learn on soft sand, forest trails, and open dispersed camping areas.
Exact meet-up location and GPS coordinates will be shared upon registration.
Vehicle Requirements:
- Front-mounted winch encouraged
- Traction boards (2 minimum)
- Recovery kit: soft shackles, kinetic rope, tree saver, gloves
- Air compressor and tire plug kit
- Rated front and rear recovery points
- All-terrain tires and full-size spare
Support Team
You’ll be supported by a certified recovery instructor, a wilderness safety lead, and a course assistant to help you get the most from each drill.
Why Choose This Course?
Most overlanders carry recovery gear they’ve never used. Our goal is to make sure you never have to wait for help.
This course isn’t theoretical. You’ll get dirty. You’ll get unstuck. And you’ll leave with the kind of self-reliance that defines great overlanders.
This is where capable drivers become confident explorers.
About Your Pack Leader
With over three decades of off-road experience and two decades dedicated to vehicle recovery, Ben Powell brings deep technical expertise and a proven teaching background.
For more than 15 years, he has served with King County Search & Rescue, where he has trained hundreds of first responders, volunteers, and off-road enthusiasts through professional recovery programs.
25+ years off-road recovery experience with overland vehicles, living in vans, boats, RVs, and expedition vehicles traveling off-grid, in all conditions.
Survival, medical response, and field operations expertise. Skills honed over decades of training and real-world application.
Interested in Private Coaching?
Frequently Asked Questions
Each Wolf Pack event is intentionally capped at a small number of vehicles (usually 5–10) to ensure a personal, high-quality experience. Registration is first come, first served.
We welcome Sprinter vans, adventure vans, Class B RVs, small overland builds, and similar adventure vehicles. Specific requirements are listed in each event description. Feel free to reach out if you're unsure whether your setup is a fit.
Yes! Passengers and partners are welcome unless otherwise noted for a specific event. We encourage bringing someone to share the experience.
In general, well-behaved dogs are welcome at most events. However, some locations or activities (like certain state parks, recovery trainings, or wildlife areas) may have restrictions. Pet policies will be clearly listed per event.
Wolf Pack events are designed to run rain or shine. We believe real adventure includes real conditions. In cases of extreme, unsafe weather (such as wildfires, floods, or severe storms), we will reschedule or refund as needed.
A packing list and tools list will be provided after registration, customized for each event. Expect to bring basics like food, water, fuel, sleeping setup, recovery gear (where applicable), appropriate clothing, and basic van necessities.
Due to the small group sizes and advanced planning, Wolf Pack event registrations are non-refundable within 30 days of the event. However, if you need to cancel earlier, or if we must reschedule due to weather or emergencies, we’ll work with you fairly.
If you can comfortably walk around a campground, crouch, lift light gear, and hike short distances on uneven ground, you’ll be fine. We adjust our pace to the group. No extreme hiking or climbing required.
