Everyone is looking for reasons to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors, and many are landing on off-roading for their new hobby.

Devin Rochon, Founder of Off-Road Brigade explains what people new to the sport should look into first. “I would say the number one thing would be, make sure you have all the proper gear. We're getting people that are brand new to the hobby and they don't really know what to expect. So they kind of underestimate, Mother Nature, especially in the Ghost area.” 

“Going by yourself and not having a buddy system can definitely have some bad repercussions. As a newbie, absolutely you should always have a second rig with you and an escape plan for sure.”

He says that a big problem is when new riders try to avoid the obstacles presented along the trails.

“I think that the biggest issue is, we call it trail widening and again we'll get people who are brand new to their full-stock vehicles. We'll see an obstacle and instead of obviously tackling the obstacle they try to go around. And that's where I really started to see a lot of issues, seeing a lot of side trails and it could definitely lead to trail closures. “

“The biggest thing is, is going through it, don't go around it, because if you start going around, you're putting a larger impact on the ground so it's all about treading lightly”

When you are looking to set up your vehicle, shopping locally is the best option.

“The best thing to do is go to your local shop. There are all kinds of great companies here in Calgary and Cochrane that can supply this stuff. But it's also making sure you get to know the good stuff. Some things you can buy on Amazon and eBay, don't usually end up working out too well for you”

One of the most popular areas for off-roading, McLean Creek opens May 1.

Rochon says you would be surprised to see what people try to take off-roading.

“We see a lot of Subarus, We see minivans. We did a cleanup run in September there and we saw Prius, Corollas, stuff like that. We have definitely seen some weird stuff.”