Didn't miss a word, Terry, and stand by what I said. No-one was talking about using brakes on their own. Of course any available engine braking is taken advantage of. I was talking about using brakes full stop.
In the days before HDC people bought manuals for going down big hills. People with autos used the brakes out of necessity and at their peril.
People with oversized tyres who are serious about crawling get suitably lower-ratio gearing in their diffs. Again, people without the proper equipment use the brakes out of necessity and at their peril.
In both these cases, and for tyres and clearance as well for that matter, if you don't have the equipment to safely negotiate obstacles then a good driver knows the limit of their car and doesn't go there unless absolutely necessary. Or at least get your family out of the car first, and have a recovery vehicle, first aid kit and sat phone at the ready.
It's good and well to enjoy the challenge of man and machine against the elements if that's your thing, but it's irresponsible to encourage novices to use anything less than the safest techniques for potentially dangerous situations. If you think you heard a RRC instructor telling people with HDC equipped cars to use their brakes instead on steep inclines, I'd be deeply concerned.
Sorry I don't want to be confrontational, but I can't in good conscience not encourage safety first. I think your advice regarding doing a course is dead on, and maybe we should leave it at that. I've done plenty of offroad driving in different cars and still found it invaluable to spend a day in the D4 in a controlled environment where my wife and I could safely get to know the car and some of it's capabilities.
