Snow stories!

Soldato
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East of the Middle
So all this snow got me thinking about shenanigans I got up to when I first passed and thought it might be an idea to share your motoring snow stories.

I remember driving one if my first cars after passing, a humble 1.4 Honda (sport) and going around a bend on a council estate thinking "if I floor it I could get the tail out". My naive young self forgot that it was fwd and I ended up under steering straight into the kerb and bouncing over to the other side of the road as I wound on more lock! Heed less to say I crapped myself and vowed never to do anything so stupid again!

The next day I tried overtaking some cars on the white stuff and completely lost traction and stuffed it into a guard rail. Some zip ties later I was back up and running and definitely promised never again to do something so stupid!

The following day I drove around with the handbrake up fish tailing around all over the shop around an empty car park. Was loads of fun but never was I to do something so stupid again.

I'll save myself further embarrassment and leave it to you! What's your best snow story?
 
Man of Honour
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Many years back (probably around 95/96) we turned into a car park in the snow to find a bunch of racer types drifting in the snow, etc. my dad somewhat uncharacteristically was like "I'll show them" - speeds up massive handbrake turn - was within inches of turning the car over - probably looked impressive from outside but was on the knife edge of disaster - and ended up knackering the tires.
 
Soldato
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Monterrey, Mexico
Went skiing in the alps in a RWD car with wide, low profile summer tyres because everyone told me the main roads were always clear and gritted during the day, and our resort was on a main road. Turned out they were very, very wrong.

Looking back, it was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done, but we managed to get everywhere we needed to, albeit massively sideways and about 5MPH on every corner. Some of the hills took multiple attempts...

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Didn't learn from this experience and proceeded to go to the Austrian alps during a European road trip. At least those roads were clear though

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Soldato
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Never crashed in the snow, but remember much fun had getting the old yaris stuck, then the mazda going round the ungritted housing estates with the handbrake on.

More recently (by which i mean friday) had some fun utterly failing to get the car out of my street, ended up having to get towed by one of the neighbors and it's still a couple of streets over on the flat because now the snows compacted it aint getting back safely.

Yesterday was fun though, out on a mates quad in the hills doing much hooliganism and general sideways motion
 
Caporegime
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Leafy Cheshire
Went skiing in the alps in a RWD car with wide, low profile summer tyres because everyone told me the main roads were always clear and gritted during the day, and our resort was on a main road. Turned out they were very, very wrong.

Looking back, it was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done, but we managed to get everywhere we needed to, albeit massively sideways and about 5MPH on every corner. Some of the hills took multiple attempts...

Didn't learn from this experience and proceeded to go to the Austrian alps during a European road trip. At least those roads were clear though

I assume you didn’t take chains? Got the 330d up to Val Thorens multiple times on summer tyres, only once did I have to stop to put on chains. The biggest issue is keeping momentum with all the idiots damn near stopping on every single switchback.
 
Soldato
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Monterrey, Mexico
I assume you didn’t take chains? Got the 330d up to Val Thorens multiple times on summer tyres, only once did I have to stop to put on chains. The biggest issue is keeping momentum with all the idiots damn near stopping on every single switchback.

No, should have in hindsight although not sure how easy it would have been to find ones for my wheel size.

On the uphill sections I kept momentum on the switchbacks, but I’m afraid on the steep downhill ones I was one of the idiots driving at walking pace as I didn’t fancy plunging off the edge of the cliff at the bottom :o
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
Joined
31 Aug 2007
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Ignoring the locals' advice and trying to pass a car stuck on a narrow road in Norway, leaving my Leon at banked 45 degrees into some trees wasn't much fun.
Needed 2 trucks to pull me out sideways with straps around the wheels.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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21,047
On Friday night I started an overtake on a two lane dual cartridgeway corner that started clear but out of sight the second lane was all snow, cue me sliding sideways into the centre barrier. Both driver side wheels in bad shape and both ends scraping paint from the bumper and metal.

Not great when I’ll be selling it in two weeks :mad::mad:
 
Associate
Joined
21 Oct 2012
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2,332
At my previous company I decided to do handbrake turns in the snow with the work's van.

It was glorious sliding around all over the site until I slid into a high kerb and damaged the wheels.

Never got in trouble over it. The company were cheapskates and used old bangers.
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
Joined
31 Aug 2007
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20,001
Yup. They were these weird things. First time I've seen them. Sure they were more of a bondage thing.
Maybe she left the crampons on after coming back from Everest.
Yep, I gave the Golf back a month ago.
Pretty annoying that I had a 4 wheel drive car for 2 years and it didn’t snow once. The moment I get a BMW again it snows lots :mad:
Unlucky!
 
Soldato
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19 Oct 2002
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Jupiter
It's just taken me a tad over 9 hours to get from Ascot to Shropshire. We had to navigate the M4, A404, M40, M42, M6, M54 and A41.

A404 was the worst. 3 hours to do a mile due to everyone trying to drive around a stuck/jack-knifed Tesco lorry. I sat behind him and gave him some room, 3-4 minutes later he was on his way.

The sheer number of idiots in this weather astounds me.
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
Joined
31 Aug 2007
Posts
20,001
The sheer number of idiots in this weather astounds me.
High gear, low revs. High gear, low revs. High gear, low revs.
Also, remember that stopping will be impossible :p

It's really not difficult.

The worst are people that drive around at 5mph in 1st gear. GET OUT OF MY WAY!
 
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