Keith Hart is one of the most experienced off-roaders in England. Keith has been driving Land Rovers for more than 35 years. An off-road driving instructor, he drives a 90 and has written a book on off-roading. He currently writes for Land Rover Owner International Magazine.

WHAT GOES UP…

Hill climbs and descents are danger areas for off-roaders. Here’s how to tackle the ups and the downs..

It's easy to go down hills - gravity does the job for you. But things can quickly go wrong if you are not following the rules. When you get to the top of a steep hill, the first golden rule is to stop, get out of the vehicle, and walk to the bottom. You need to be aware of the terrain - and the things that may catch you out on the way down. Also you will need to be certain that you can make it up the other side. If for instance there is and extra dip or gully halfway down, you could stand the vehicle on its nose. Also, beware of rabbit holes and mole hills, as one of the front wheels could fall into them. By walking first, at least you will know what to expect, and can probably by-pass some of the worst pitfalls. When you have returned to your Land Rover, and have made the decision to go for it, first check that you are still in low ratio, because if you have driven a bumpy track before the descent, the lever could have slipped out into neutral - and this would be no fun at all.

Check either red lever (hard back), and freewheeling hubs engaged on Series vehicles, or transfer lever forward and over to the left into diff lock position, with orange light symbol showing on all permanent four-wheel drive vehicles. Make certain that you have stopped at least eight feet back from the edge of the slope and always try to descend straight down - not at an angle, as this makes the maneuver more dangerous.

To start, select the lowest gear you have. First in the main gear box, making certain that it is properly engaged (selecting third by mistake is quite easily done in the early five-speed gearboxes).

What you do next will probably be the most alien move that you have ever made in your Land Rover. Pull away, and take both your feet off the pedals. In other words, no clutch, no brake, and no throttle. It is a natural reaction to hover your foot over the brake pedal when going down a hill. But if you're tempted to touch the brakes while descending in and off-road situation, the results could be disastrous. The trick to control your feet to keep off the pedals is to bang your heels against the seat box, or if a Range Rover or Discovery driver, take your feet right off the pedals, and stamp them on the floor. After a time you will be used to the fact than it is safer without brakes or clutch, and to just relying on the engine braking, which is good in any Land Lover (Freelander excepted) - and best of all with a diesel.

It's dangerous to use brakes going down a steep, slippery slope because gravity sees that most of the weight goes forward on the front wheels, which is the heavier end of your vehicle. If you used brakes in this situation, the rear wheels would lock up long before you got much braking form the front wheels, and the rear would try to overtake the front. With skill, this can be controlled on tarmac, but if descending a steep off-road hill, could result in a multi roll-over. The reason you don't operate the clutch going downhill is because you are relying on the engine to slow you down. Occasionally, when descending very slippery hills, and even though you have done everything correctly, the vehicle may start to slip. The last thought in you mind would be to put your foot on the accelerator, but by revving the engine you will spin the wheels (which will not take you down any faster, because they have lost their grip) and when the revs die the wheels will synchronize with the speed the vehicle is slipping, and you will regain grip.

To sum up: a few blips on the throttle will help the situation, and more important keep the vehicle straight, and if your have walked the hill as you should have done, even if you are descending a little too fast, hopefully you will have previously sussed out a run-out. Also remember: only one vehicle on a hill at a time- then at least anything goes wrong you will have a clear run down.

TECHNIQUES FOR AUTOMATICS

There are now more automatics coming on the market, so there will be a larger proportion of autos off-road in the future. The good point about an automatic gearbox is that it has the ability to handle a lot of power in a smooth way without causing any damage.

Dropping the clutch fiercely in the first gear low ratio can put considerable stain on the transmission, although you do have complete control over the gears that you selected - i.e. first low for going down hills. I will now explain a new set of rules for descending in an automatic Land Rover…

1. Select low ratio and, if manually operated, make certain that you are in diff lock, although you will probably find that the center locking will be engaged automatically through a viscous coupling.

2. Stop at least a vehicle's length from the edge of the hill and, after walking and making certain that all is safe, select first gear, which is the lowest available to you.

3. If the descent is not too steep, you can go down with your foot off the pedal, the same as with a manual gearbox. In this case, the auto will act differently. When pulling away and descending, even with very little throttle, the vehicle will surge forward at quite a speed before the torque converter engages. I liken the feeling to going over the edge of a hill with your foot on the clutch for the first three meters, and then letting it engage the engine for braking. If the hill is not too steep, all is OK with the engine coming in a little late - it is still safe to drive.

If the hill is very steep, carry out moves 1 and 2. But move 3 would see you go down too fast. The answer is to use power braking.

I have been teaching this system to many auto drivers, including the police, and with practice it works very well.

First, with the hand brake engaged, put your foot on the brake pedal, using approximately one third of the pedal movement. Release the hand brake, and your controlled foot brake pedal pressure will hold the vehicle on the flat before the descent. The only way to move the vehicle is to throttle away in first gear low, slightly straining the wheels against the brakes. Keep the brake pedal pressure constant, because if you go lighter or heavier on the pedal you will lock the brakes up, resulting in a possible sideways roll.

What you are doing is slowing the vehicle down on the brakes while making sure that the wheels do not lock up as you are powering them round, and the torque converter has taken up the drive. When you have practiced the move, you may find that you need more or less brake pressure according to your vehicle, but whatever pressure you select, keep it the same all the way down. With practice, using the power braking method, you can go down steep hills as slow as a driver in a manual gearbox - and just as safely.

GOING UPHILL

All the same rules apply when going uphill: walk up to the top and take note of the terrain. Also, you will be aware of what is down on the other side. Is it too steep? Is there going to be a run at the bottom?

Again, too much first gear will give you too much torque. You need to pick a gear that get you up all the way without having to change down. If you are in low ratio and also on slippery surface, a gear change will loose you traction.

If you are climbing in an automatic, I find it is best to select a gear that you can hold - not in drive, because if you get some wheel slip it will change up and down… eventually getting you stuck.

FAILING ON A HILL

However good you and your vehicle are, there is going to be a time when you will fail to climb a steep or slippery hill. How you react to this situation is very important - and could mean getting into a dangerous predicament.

Quick and precise movements are essential. If you fail, probably your natural instinct is to grab the hand brake, but this will put you in trouble, as all wheels will lock up and slip backwards.

Bear in mind that the heaviest part of the vehicle is at the front, and will want to swing sideways like a pendulum while you continue to slide backwards, resulting in a rollover sideways, possibly more than once. If you cease forward motion, instinct will tell you to tread both feet down hard down on the clutch and brake pedals - there is no time for finesse here. As soon as you have held the Land Rover with the foot brake full on, you could start slipping backwards out of control, but remember that your clutch pedal went hard down at the same time. Select reverse gear straight away, and then jump both feet off the pedals. You will now be running backwards in reverse gear with wheels turning and engine braking under control. Reverse is usually slightly higher in ratio than first gear. Steer straight down in the tracks that you came up in, and keep your feet off all pedals. If you are not using your mirrors, and you are looking backwards, you may find that to steer with one hand on a power steering wheel will keep you in a straight line.

If, when hill climbing, your engine cuts out, or you stall, don't attempt to start it, as the time delay will result in you slipping backwards, and out of control. With the engine dead, it's best to assume that it will not start. On ceasing forward motion, with both feet hard on the brake and clutch pedals, select reverse gear quickly, and then if your starter key is on the right-hand side of the steering wheel, make certain that your gear change hand holds the steering wheel before the other hand leaves to turn the key. As you turn the starter over, it is a signal for your feet to fly off the pedals. It doss not matter if your engine fails to start, because all you have done is to turn the engine over at the same time that you have connected it to reverse gear. This means that you have spun a dead engine over in gear, and the vehicle will run backwards, turning the engine, even if it is not firing; you will still have compression braking and it will get you down hill safely.

The procedure for an automatic is no quite so easy. If you fail when climbing in an auto, hold the vehicle on the brake pedal and move the gear selector to reverse, but instead of coming off the brake instantly, trail the brakes - in other words, let the vehicle go backwards while using some foot brake, but not enough to lock the wheels. The reason for this is that some auto boxes do not like engaging reverse when suddenly going backwards, and will effectively shoot you rearwards without any engine braking.

The only move that you can't undertake in an auto is a failed engine recovery on a hill climb. First, you can rule out a stall, as the torque converter should disengage before is stalled. If, however, the engine does stop for any reason, there is no way you can engage the gearbox to the power plant.

A question I'm frequently asked is what to do in an emergency auto engine failure. The only option left to you is to use your transmission hand brake. Pull it on a few clicks on the ratchet - just enough to hold the whole transmission down; at least you won't stand so much chance of locking wheels up and going sideways.

Remember that with no engine you have no servo to the brakes, and they would be very hard to operate gently. Also, you will have no power steering, Be thankful that Land Rover has fitted a transmission hand brake to most models.