Okay, okay. About that Iron Chest thing.

I went over to the Brown residence tonight (thanks again, guys) for supper and we watched some of their trail videos afterwards. Mike had quite a bit of footage of Iron Chest when he rode with Jeff on this. All I have to say now is, I don't think you'll be seeing me on any 9-rated trails anytime soon! I knew when Jeff said he had a blast on it above, that it requires a bit of translation for the majority of us as to what that actually means! While I thought the linked pictures above looked real good, and maybe perfect, the video did shed a bit more light on it.

What would it take for me to do it?

No question, 285's minimum. That extra inch of clearance would go a long way on this trail from what I currently have. (They are exactly 2" taller.)

I already said I'd have sliders by then, so the rocker panel area doesn't look to be too big of a concern there with them. Definitely a pre-requisite.

An "azrain skid plate" at the minimum would be required and would be more than an adequate testing ground for one (or 2!). The undercarriage seems to be the most vulnerable on this trail. I guess it usually is, but you get what I'm trying to say. I just don't know if I could listen to all the hard bumps and scrapes underneath in surround sound.

Probably another year's worth of experience, and to have been on a few 8's.

And lastly, but not least, a confident spotter who could guide and assure me that I'd walk (drive) away with "no big deal" type of damage. There are some real good size boulder fields there which is noticeable on a 2-D video. I can only imagine the real thing is a big wake up call. While it didn't appear as though it should have been rated a 9, again, it might make a totally different face when you see it live.

I don't know about this one. At this time, I'm saying "no to 9's" and will play it the right way--safe. <img border="0" alt="[Chicken]" title="" src="graemlins/chicken.gif" />