Ice driving

[Andrew300]

Anybody been on one of these events , I fancy doing one but £1,300 for 3 nights and one day driving between 3 drivers seems extreme!

[John Scherrer]

I seem to recall Bruce posting something about this a couple of years ago ..

[Bruce Fielding]

Yep. Been going for a few years now.

What do you want to know, Andrew?

[Andrew300]

Everything Bruce , are you going again next year and is it as much fun as it looks ?

[Bruce Fielding]

Ice Driving

Every year (with one or two exceptions) for the past few years, I have flown to Northern Sweden and skidded about on a frozen lake in a variety of cars. Why?

Well, for starters, it’s an absolute hoot. Having minimal grip and driving as fast as you can in someone else’s vehicles is great fun. And addictive. Hence going back for more every year.

Apart from the exhilaration of driving on ice, the big thing for me is the camaraderie with the other drivers. Also, there are a fair few novices each time, so it’s nice to be able to pass on experience previously acquired.

So what happens? Well, I’ve never been on an organised ice driving weekend, so I can only tell you what happens when I go. We fly from Heathrow to Oslo Airport where we collect hire cars (with full waivers, of course). Then we drive about three or four hours north (depending on weather) to the place we stay which is like a barracks really, with two or three to a room. This is about 20 minutes drive from the lake – and it’s a great drive!

For video, see https://youtu.be/nAoclVFMoGQ
(The first bit is the road down to the lake which is a challenge in itself. Music courtesy of my cousin Aaron)

We usually arrive at night, so rooms and beds are allocated and we settle down for the night after the stressful drive along icy roads. The food is organised by one of our number who lives in Sweden and brings a car load of supplies with.

Early next morning, one of our number cooks bacon and eggs and then we’re off in a convoy or two to the lake. Those who know the way top and tail just in case anyone goes off the lake road – this has happened at least once every time. Shovels and tow ropes are your friend on this… as they will be throughout the day. Once at the lake, there’s a briefing. The lake has been cleared of snow to make a race track as well as a small practice circle and a large learning oval. Old hands go straight out onto the track while novices and those wanting to refresh their skills head for the other two. The big thing to learn is left foot braking. Apart from our hire cars, there are cars at the lake that are available for hire – mostly old BMW 3 series. 1.6 litres is enough. My weapon of choice is a really old Volvo 240 estate which is brilliant. Lots of weight for pendulum corners and lots of rear wheel grip. Except when there isn’t, in which case a shove to start the thing moving is needed. There are also 4x4 vehicles, but that’s cheating. And the front wheel drive cars aren’t great, so there’s always a demand for the old BMWs. The cars mostly just have snow tyres on, so you learn a LOT more, but there is sometimes the option of a car with studded tyres which significantly increases the speed at which you can get yourself into trouble!

Cars go off the track into the banks of snow frequently, and you are obliged to help dig people out. There’s a truck that can come and get you if you really stuff it. Often is looks like it should be really easy to get out of the snow, but it isn’t. The best way out is usually the way you got in!

After a day on the lake we return to the barracks for a sauna and a meal and a night of drinking and gassing.

Repeat for three days, then head back to the airport to drop off the hire cars and fly back.

The cost? We pay for our own flights (lots of people have miles) and the rental of the lake and the cars both at the airport and on the lake, and the barracks and food. It’s usually about £1500 plus the cost of the flights, but what we do is keep all bills and then have a wash up at the end. We also give the lake owners a bottle of scotch from each of us to say thank you because alcohol is so expensive in Norway and Sweden.

I didn’t go this year as I’ve just bought a new home and it would have been profligate, but I’m on for next year for sure.

Things to watch for? The temperature mostly. One year we went and it wasn’t as cold as it should be so we couldn’t use the lake. We found an airfield and used that instead. Talking of temperatures, it’s usually about -15 but it has been down to -30 or so – which when you consider that the cars interiors are heated to about +20 meant a temperature difference of 50 degrees – which was interesting!

Take a warm jacket and gloves and a hat and boots with cold-resistant soles but which allow you to drive sensitively. Just remember which car you left them in. Ice driving is hot work so you’ll be taking those outer garments off. Yellow lensed sunglasses are a good idea too.

If you have any other questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.

PS. This is the lake we use and these are some of the cars... http://www.icedrivesweden.com

[Bruce Fielding]

[quote="Andrew300"]
Anybody been on one of these events , I fancy doing one but £1,300 for 3 nights and one day driving between 3 drivers seems extreme!
[/quote]

Depends what you're driving, but three people sharing a car is about right. You don't want to spend all your time driving - it's quite exhausting - and you'll need the other two to help you out of the snow sometimes! £1300 does seem a bit steep for one day, but if you're in a posh car (which I don't do) then it might be the reason.

We usually go about 20/30 strong.

[John Scherrer]

Sounds brilliant 

[Andrew300]

Thanks Bruce ,that definitely made my mind up for doing this next year,another question which do you prefer rear wheel,front wheel drive or 4x4 for ice driving

[wasp]

I've done exactly the same as Bruce, with the same company and had a brilliant time.
You get as much play as you can handle, plus you'll really learn how much help a shovel can be in the snow.

Cost for 3 days including flights and everything was about £1,200 each.

I couldn't recommend it more.

Cheers,
Stu