Las Cruces Chili Challenge - BLAST FROM THE PAST

I found a video from 20+ years ago. Our 4x4 club drove to Las Cruces, NM for the annual Chili Challenge, a rock crawling event in the area around Las Cruces. It was my first real rock crawling experience and I was hooked. I've been rock crawling ever since. Check it out!

[@timmcooper294]

Boggers !! Got my first set 16" wide 35's in 1996. Man, the good old days when people drove real rigs on gnarly trails, Jeeps had 2 doors or less, and lots of really old iron was still being wheeled. I later got caught up in the "arms race", got bigger and bigger, now back to 7.50-16 bias plies on stock leaf springs and having more fun than ever! Thanks for sharing !!!

[@Prescott4Wheeler]

Yeah, that was before I upgraded to 37” and now 40” tires. I’m still a little guy!

[@uncleansanchez]

Oh, the good ol days of Jeeping. I made several Chille Challenges with the winter quarterly SWFWDA events and loved every one of them.

[@Prescott4Wheeler]

I heard they don’t run those trails anymore at the Chili Challenge. I didn’t know if that’s true or not. We were hoping to make it back there one of these days.

[@uncleansanchez]

@@Prescott4Wheeler , it's been quite some time since my last visit with LCFWD, but you've peaked my curiosity enough to make me drlve into what became of them and their trails.

[@pbfab7764]

Love seeing all the boggers! Think that video was pre 99 2000, or earlier Monica and I don’t remember that run lol.

[@Prescott4Wheeler]

PB! I know it was after 1997 cuz that’s when we bought the truck and camper we drove out there.

[@nicholascooper1193]

Boggers OG rock crawling tires. It's like a bunch of hands grabbing the rocks and pulling you up

[@joshuadockery5386]

I wheeled those LC, NM trails in the early/mid 2000’s in a leaf spring YJ. Like you can tell in the video, driver was equally as important as equipment. Now it’s all about spending cubic dollars to take driver skill out of the equation.

[@1969darr]

The only Jeeps were 2dr. American Racing rims and TSL Thornbirds or Mickey T. I remember those days well. Thank You!

[@Prescott4Wheeler]

Good times for sure!

[@ericfilar]

That was October of 1998. Good times!

[@Prescott4Wheeler]

We have a winner! I don't know how you remembered that, but thanks!