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Brady Melville
Alex Hinds trying out some different lines in the EMB Buggy
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Brady Melville
Alex Hinds in the EMB Memorial Buggy, looking out over downtown Victoria from the summit of Mt. Garibaldi
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Brady Melville
Rollover for Metchosin Joe under the lights at Island Cup 2016
Words and Photos by Brady Melville of Pathmaker Productions
Frogstompers OHV Park is located 25 minutes outside of Victoria, BC, in the hills of East Sooke on the Beecher Bay Reserve. As the only real true private facility on the South Island that has off-road trails, Frogstompers has been the host of many different events and competitions over the years. From holding mud-drags and tough truck competitions in the lower parking area, to the extreme rock crawling of the Island Cup higher up the mountain. In addition to all of the 4x4 competitions they also hold numerous “Fun-days” throughout the year, with themes like a poker run, Bounty Hill, garbage and trail maintenance and a yearly Christmas Toy-Drive, where bringing a wrapped toy to donate to the children of the local First Nations Band will get you access to the trails.
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Brady Melville
Dustin Webb flexing his Toyota out in front of the crowd at the Island Cup 2016
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Pathmaker Productions
Bad bounce put Jack on his side in his Jeep at one of the Frogstomper Fundays
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John Kennedy coming down the rocks at Frogstomeprs during the Island Cup in front of the big crowds
The entire property is part of the Beecher Bay First Nations Band with approximately 20 ha (50 ac) used for the OHV Park, and trails ranging from very beginner all the way up to the insane lines that are used for the Island Cup. With the terrain encompassing the entire side of Mt. Garibaldi starting in the parking lot near the base of the mountain, you can pick various routes up the trails and rocks, working your way up the different sides of the mountain. Tight trails in the pine trees and arbutus forest lead up the mountain to many large slippery rock outcroppings just perfect of testing the limits of your rig. With more than 15 km of trails, and over 30 different obstacles, there is a ton of selection for everyone. Almost all of the trails have bypasses or a secondary route, which allows even mostly stock vehicles to make it almost to the very top of the mountain. The very last 100 metres are only for the most extreme rigs and the advanced drivers because even they occasionally have trouble on the final climb. Here’s a video of Jon in his Toyota rock crawler making a small error on the last climb and getting a chance to test out his cage building skills as he rolls back to the bottom!
Trail Fail - Epic Toyota Buggy rollover at Frogstompers Funday
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Brady Melville
Lots of trails mean big turn outs for the Fundays at Frogstompers
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Spotter Rob Reid gets out of the way of Sam Erck as he pushes his 4Runner through the course at the Island Cup
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Brady Melville
Taking in the view from the top of Mt. Garibaldi, with the Olympic Mountains in the background photo Brady Melville Pathmaker Productions
If you decide to come to the mountain in a stock vehicle and are not able to drive the final climb to the summit it is well worth the short hike from the top staging area. As you follow the trails up a large exposed rock face out of the trees, you are confronted with a 360° view with the ocean on three sides. With the city of Victoria in the distance, and views of the snowcapped Olympic Mountains across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it’s a truly amazing view that can only be accessed from the peak of Mt. Garibaldi on the Frogstompers property. It’s the perfect spot for an impromptu photo shoot and a quick sandwich before taking one of the many routes down from the summit.
Byron Connell has been in charge of the property for years as the property is part of the Beecher Bay Band and he acts as custodian of the land for the Band. Because of the unique structure of the property, the trail fees from the Funday’s and assorted events go to help out the entire Band community. There is plenty of parking on site for trailers, as well as space for rustic camping, as some events turn into night runs, or competitions run for multiple days. Typical costs for a truck and driver for a Funday are $20 and passengers/spectators are $10 at the gate with wheeling starting around 9am and running until late. Event listings can usually be found on Facebook.
The next big event coming up for Frogstompers OHV is the annual Island Cup, this year going back to its “classic” dates during May long weekend, May 18-20. With on-site camping for competitors, as well as day passes available don’t miss out on Canada’s premier extreme off-road event; it’s only $1/day or $25 for a 3-day pass. You can visit IslandCup.ca for information on the event. Check out an upcoming issue of 4WDrive Magazine for a full report.
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Pathmaker Productions
The summit of Mt.Garibaldi always draws a crowd, with a few of the hardest lines on the mountain all finishing at this one point
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Brady Melville
Wheeling some of the trails at Frogstompers in the Pathmaker
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Brady Melville
Whoops! Put the Pathmaker on its roof during on of the Frogstomper Fundays
Brady Melville of Pathmaker Productions made a fantasy a reality by leaving corporate construction to pursue a career as off-road photographer and videographer. Share in his adventures off-road at www.pathmakerproductions.com and www.youtube.com/pathmakerproductions for a front row seat on his next journey.
Connect with Brady Melville and Pathmaker Productions on social media: facebook; instagram