Winter driving in the Great White North has always unnerved me, there is something just not quite right about driving down a snow covered highway at 100 km/hr. Most Canadians have grown up with this insanity and think its normal, however Im not convinced. So in the name of public safety I decided to take a winter driving course. Safety First, that's my motto.
Of course the best way to learn is to push your limits and there is no better way to do that than by racing on a frozen lake! Thankfully the ice was a good 1m thick so there was little chance of going through. Despite this we were still not allowed to wear seat belts, just in case we had to make a quick exit. The course was run as a non-profit organization by a local Autocross champion who wanted to help drivers deal with tricky situations.
My first lap of the day was pretty slow as the conditions were slick, not surprising I guess considering it was solid ice. My instructor encouraged my to push my limits and before long I was hitting 80 km/hr down the straights and power sliding around the corners. Despite being super fun I also learned a lot of skills and I think I will be back again next year to refresh my skills.
Of course the best way to learn is to push your limits and there is no better way to do that than by racing on a frozen lake! Thankfully the ice was a good 1m thick so there was little chance of going through. Despite this we were still not allowed to wear seat belts, just in case we had to make a quick exit. The course was run as a non-profit organization by a local Autocross champion who wanted to help drivers deal with tricky situations.
My first lap of the day was pretty slow as the conditions were slick, not surprising I guess considering it was solid ice. My instructor encouraged my to push my limits and before long I was hitting 80 km/hr down the straights and power sliding around the corners. Despite being super fun I also learned a lot of skills and I think I will be back again next year to refresh my skills.
Proof that we were on a lake
There was a light dusting of snow giving us a little grip but I would still spin all four wheels in 3rd if I was too hard on the gas.
The corners were polished ice, great for learning about weight transfer/power sliding.
The Saabaru, making safety fun since 2010.
2 comments:
Good stuff! - Back home in Denmark the first frosty winter morning of the year always created a bit of chaos :-)
Do you (have to) change to winter tires in Canada?
Cheers Allan
You dont have to use winter tires but we decided to use them. So much more grip when it gets really cold.
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