Any advice....Driving on snowy mountain roads
 

We are going on our first skiing trip. My husband never drove in snow and never on narrow winding roads. We come from a flat hot country, the maximum we have to deal with is wet (might be slippery) roads after rain. Any advice for us?

>Any advice for us?

1) just don´t drive (it depends very much on where you go - maybe driving is not necessary)

2) If driving is necessary, make sure you have winter tires.

3) have snow chains in the trunk, and know how and when to put them on. If the conditions require putting on snow chains, drive slowly and take them off immediately after you reached better roads.

Hi HAD,

Are you the one going to the Dolomites?

Some driving tips:

- Rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle with winter tires. It doesn't need to be big (in fact, lighter cars can be better)

- Leave lots of room between yourself and the car ahead of you

- Shift down instead of braking

- If your car starts sliding, put your foot on the clutch to get more control

- Don't drive too fast but driving too slow won't get you up the mountain either

- Avoid driving in snowstorms at all costs

- Practice driving on snow in a deserted parking lot.

If you do start to skid, turn the steering wheel in the same direction as the skid to control it; don't fight against the skid.

Were I you I'd avoid doing it entirely. Either narrow winding roads (for someone not used to them) or snowy roads (for someone not used to them) could be problematic, and the two together are going to very stressful.

I'd choose a resort that's accessible by train, and take advantage of public transportation or just walk around town. Ski towns are typically small and not difficult to negotiate on foot. U.S. resorts often operate free bus systems to help people get around.

Hi HAD,

I don't think that a narrow, winding road in a foreign country is the best place to learn to drive in snow and ice.

Are you sure that you can't get there by train or bus?

Best of luck to you.

((I))

Treat steering wheel and all pedals as though they have an egg on them - being heavy-handed/footed is a sure way to lose control.

To avoid wheelspin when starting/climbing use a higher gear than you would in dry conditions.

But best of all - don't drive, let a local do it.

As someone that lived in the mountains of Colorado for about 10 years I can tell you that even for people used to driving in snowy conditions, mountain driving is a whole different ballgame.

It is not the smartest thing to try to learn to drive in snow on mountain roads. If you are going to a ski resort, I can assure you that there is a bus or train going there.

If you MUST drive, then yes get a 4wd, but remember that it doesn't matter if you have a 60 wheel drive, if you hit ice, all bets are off.

Do not make sudden movements. Slowly apply brakes, use the engine for braking when possible, start off slowly, feel the road. And yes, try to find an empty parking lot and practice spinning.

Remember, hitting a snow bank is far better than driving off the side of a mountain.

To add to the doom-mongers.

I've never found a ski resort in Europe where you needed a car.

If you're clever enough to have found one, you're clever enough to cancel the booking and change to the 99.9% of resorts you can get a bus or train to.

On the couple of occasions I've conned myself into thinking there's been a good reason for driving to a resort, it's been a terrible mistake. Apart from the sheer awfulness of learning to cope with snow for the first time on mountain roads (the nice, flat roads of Northern Sweden or North America are FAR safer places to acquire that skill), you'll never forget your first attempt to put chains on.

If you've never ski-ed before, you've got enough new experiences waiting for you without adding one that's unpleasant, really, really dangerous and completely unnecessary.

Hadeel - Don't even think of driving, that's my advice :)

The only part of your journey where a car might be a bonus is Ortisei-Milan - but even then you can do that conveniently by public transport, stopping off en route if you choose (- e.g Trento, Verona ...)

Ortisei and the whole of Val Gardena is well served by the ski buses (- normally free or with a minimal charge). The same will be true of Cortina. You won't use your car in those resorts. Save yourselves the expense.

Spend the money instead on a taxi transfer Cortina-Ortise as I suggested.

If you still want to hire a car for the last leg of your trip, there is a car-hire company near Ortisei (- either Avis or Hertz, I forget).

If the roads are icy in Ortisei, it's best to take the bus (- or taxi) down to Bolzano and rent from there.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

My advice? Dont be a backseat driver, just let him drive.

A few things:

1. Take the car to an open area and just gun it and slam on the brakes and skid all around just to know how it feels to slide and how the car handles. This is a rite of passage for most northern US kids, when their dad takes them out to a giant open parking lot during the first snowfall and let them really feel how it is.

2. Drive like there is a seven layer wedding cake strapped to the top of the car. It takes twice as long to stop, twice as long to get up to speed, and take the corners very slowly.

3. Don't put your brakes on when going through a curve. The best way to negotiate a turn in snow is to go into it slowly and accelerate through it. Less slippage this way.

4. Try to rent a 4-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive if possible. Much easier to drive.

5. They drive cars onto the ice at hockey games for giveaway promotions. So you see, you can drive on anything (well, flat at least) if you are going slow enough.

>I'd choose a resort that's accessible by train, and take advantage of public transportation or just walk around town.

There is an excellent bus network in the Dolomites, including most of the pass roads - most routes are served hourly or similar.

If there is ANY other way you can get there, other than driving, please consider it.

Driving in winter, let alone on snowy, narrow, mountainous roads, is not to be taken lightly.

It takes time and experience to learn how to deal with these conditions.

I was born in Illinois (USA) and I hated, absolutely hated, driving in winter. Accidents are much more likely to happen under these conditions.

Add blizzard conditions, and your best bet is to let someone else do the driving.

Just DON'T!!!! and I say this from experience.

DH and I are Canadian, and from Newfoundland no less, very experienced driving in snow so we were pretty cocky when we hit our first Italian mountain road in the Appenines.

Well, we learned our lesson fast! They don't plough the way they do back home (down to the blacktop) and they don't sand and salt they way they do in North America. And the Italian drivers don't slow down they way they do back home....

Just take the train or bus.

Unlike the others, I encourage you to drive those mountain roads.

And because I did not spoil your vacation plans, I expect that you write down your testament immediately and appoint me as your sole heir.

It's a deal, isn't it?

We do road trips in europe all the time. And, growing up in NYC, I have been driving on snow/ice for 30 years.

I would not even consider what you're about to do. Driving in bad weather/poor road conditions is a skil it takes time to learn - and even then either the black ice - or idiots who don;t know how to drive - may well get you. Learning in a foreign country on mountain roads is madness.

I can give you all the advice you want - when the car loses traction - you still won;t know what to do.

Take public transit.

What a bunch of pansies.

Just take it slow and try to stay in one gear higher than normal (i.e. start in 2nd). It isn't that hard. Keep your mind on the road (gag the kids if you have to) and it is perfectly reasonable.

I took my driver's exam in a pretty steady snowstorm and haven't looked back since. If you are a good driver, not easily intimidated or distracted, you should be okay.

travelgourmet..

Thanks for bringing some common sense to this discussion. I drive in the mountains every other weekend in winter, and it takes no degree in rocket science.

The resorts the OP plans to visit are connected by major roads and not "narrow winding roads", and the biggest "threat" will be those other thousands of motorists, i.e. heavy traffic esp. during high season on weekends.

So public transportion will remain a good idea, but not because it would require more than a regular working brain to handle driving on snow with properly equipped cars.

This looks even more dangerous than I thought it would be. My husband keeps assuring me that he can drive anywhere. Ok then, driving is out of the question. We will then just rent a car in Bolzano. Thanks