Winter Mountain Driving

How to drive in snow:

• Put Jeep Liberty (how do you like that product placement?) into four wheel drive.
• Drive

How to drive through mountains in snow:

• Panic!
  

Not really, but I was a little nervous on how I was going to do this. Growing up in Michigan driving through snow and ice is inevitable. I am one of the .00009 percent of people in Seattle that does not panic when snow is mentioned.

I dominate these freeways when the snow begins to fall. But there is a difference between a freeway, and a mountain pass.

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, we were hit with a snow storm. Up to two feet in some areas, up to a quarter of an inch in others. The mountains? Covered in snow, the best snow storm the mountains have seen since December.

Of course, if the mountains receive snow, you must get there immediately and ski in it. This is where my mom and family friend Mrs. Ferriss would be so proud. On Wednesday night as the snow is coming down, I made the decision I was going to go ski. I knew the roads would be bad, but I had to at least try.

This at least try mentality makes Chris a little nervous. After all, this is the thought process that had us stuck in the middle of Lake Washington at two in the morning, the last time we were hit with massive snow.

The roads were fine on Thursday morning, fine for those that a) knew how to drive and b) weren't going crazy.

Up to the mountain I went.

Then, about 20 miles away the snow got a tad deeper, the roads got a tad less clear, and the fun began.

Don't think there was 1,000,000 inches of snow on the ground, it wasn't that bad. But there was probably about two. Cars in front of me had created little two-treks and I followed those. I took my time, and went about the speed limit, maybe a little less. Within a hundred yards of the ski slopes, you could tell who had driven these roads a thousand times with snow on them.

Off they shot, into the distance. Good job, guys.

On the way home, the roads were still snow filled (it had been snowing all day) and I found the amazingness of lower gear breaking.

It was amazing! The car stayed in my control, I didn't have to go crazy on the brake. In fact, I rarely had to touch the brake. Down the mountain I went, and into work.

Yeah, you know you're an adult when you give up valuable ski time for work.