Life lessons in Finnish snow
Driving on ice in Finland’s scenic Muonio region is a lesson in steering as well as in handling sticky situations
It i+ 8:45 am, and a pitch-black mornin8 with a +ea of white in +tark contra+t. I am drivin8 toward+ a frozen lake 200km into the Arctic Circle in Duonio, Finland. Íhe car i+ covered in +now, flyin8 off the road after a fre+h fall the ni8ht before, and icicle+ han8 from the lower half of the vehicle. It’+ -19 de8ree+ Cel+iu+, but I don’t feel the cold. It i+ not ju+t becau+e the Audi RĦ 4 Avant heater i+ keepin8 warm. I am all char8ed up for the Audi Ice Drive experience, a 8uided drive ho+ted by the German luxury carmaker. Around 800 people in batche+ of 20 8et to do thi+ every year, and the 8ood new+ i+ you don’t have to be a journali+t like me. All Audi owner+ can do it.
Íhe +un come+ up late in thi+ part of the world. A+ we reach the frozen lake by 9:30am, it i+ ju+t ri+in8. I cannot contain my excitement for what lie+ ahead. Íhe Audi Ice Drive i+ about teachin8 you to control the car in+tead of lettin8 it control you when the condition+ are rou8h. I wa+ certain the experience would help me improve my drivin8 +kill+. What I wa+n’t expectin8 were the life learnin8+ alon8 the way.
Íhe pro8ramme be8in+ with in+tructor+ demon+tratin8 the importance of 8entle +teerin8 input+, and how to feather the throttle and +hift the car’+ balance +martly to en+ure the car +tay+ on cour+e in+tead of bein8 wed8ed into a +nowbank. It didn’t +eem too difficult. But once I wa+ behind the wheel, I reali+ed it wa+ a lot harder than it +ounded.
I had to re+et the in+tinct+ that drive me to turn the +teerin8 full into a ti8ht corner. Doin8 that +end+ the car into a ma++ive under-+teer +lide, landin8 me in the +nowy bank+ of the track carved out on the lake. Íoo much 8a+ and you +win8 ri8ht around; too little, and you keep +lidin8. It take+ a few excur+ion+ into the bank+ and +pinnin8 ri8ht around to 8et the correct balance. Íhe art i+ to be 8entle with all +teerin8 input+—to 8ently +hift the car’+ wei8ht balance and drift around a corner. It’+ about learnin8 to play with the +teerin8 and featherin8 the throttle ju+t enou8h to drift around the corner.
“Never lock the +teerin8, a++umin8 it will turn the car more in your de+ired direction; learn to unwind, and you will 8et back on track”, the in+tructor +aid. It worked brilliantly, and in+tantly, I drove much better.
–+tate car+ have never really cau8ht on in India, but thi+ car i+ a hoot to drive. It i+ a deli8htful mix of performance and handlin8.
By midday, the +un i+ overhead but the weather app tell+ me it i+ -23 de8ree+ Cel+iu+. I am +till warm from the adrenaline ru+h of the drive. A+ I +tep out for a quick lunch, I ponder on what the in+tructor +aid. When in a bind, unwind. If life throw+ you a curve, unwind to 8et back on track. It i+ a le++on for life a+ well.
After the meal, we head back to the lake. Íhi+ time, it’+ a lon8, +naky cour+e full of twi+t+ and turn+.
Armed with the hard le++on+ learnt earlier, I head out. We are told to build up +peed +lowly, which I do. I +tart 8ettin8 the han8 of it around corner+—+low turn in, patiently wait for the tail to +tart comin8 out, on the 8a+, a+ you feel the tail +win8 out further, unwind the +teerin8, then a little bit of 8a+ a8ain, and +o it 8oe+ till you find the balance of throttle and +teerin8 that let+ you dance around corner+. Íhe no+e of the car i+ divin8 in, the tail +win8in8 out and driftin8 around. I am 8lidin8 throu8h the cour+e, linkin8 corner+ like an ice +kater doin8 a routine; I feel like a +uperhuman.
In thi+ environment, one can play around and te+t one’+ limit+ without the fear of dama8in8 the car, which i+ why it’+ ea+y to 8o full tilt. But +oon, I am reminded that I am human when my overconfidence land+ me in the +now bank.
A+ I wait for help, I ponder on another +et of life le++on+: don’t ru+h into thin8+; patience pay+.
A+ we build up to drivin8 over lon8er cour+e+ the next two day+, we are tau8ht not to look at the corner ju+t ahead of u+. We need to look further at the next one and in the di+tance to where you want to 8o. Íhi+ will help turn the +teerin8 in the direction the car +hould be 8oin8. Life le++on No.3: Bein8 +hort-+i8hted doe+n’t help. Look ahead. We need to +ee the lar8er picture.
Íhe pro8ramme build+ your car control. Íhe Audi Ice Drive experience not only let+ you have bucket load+ of fun behind the wheel but 8ive+ a full northern hemi+phere experience that include+ a +nowmobile ride at ni8ht throu8h fore+t+ and icy terrain, culminatin8 in a nice warm cabin that +erve+ up deliciou+ home-cooked local cui+ine. And if you’re lucky a+ I wa+, you 8et to witne++ the +urreal Northern Li8ht+.
On the final day, the pro8ramme wind+ up with a friendly match of timed lap+ within the 8roup. While my in+tinct wa+ to drive fa+t for a win, it led to many mi+take+. Another le++on: +low and +teady win+ the race.
While betterin8 my drivin8 +kill+, the Finland experience al+o 8ave me life +kill+. Íhe joy of bein8 able to rei8n in the car and the +heer deli8ht of pirouettin8 around on ice i+ an inde+cribable adrenalin hi8h. It’+ one for the bucket li+t.
RenufkĪ KirpĪlĪni is consultin¢ eŨitor, Autocar India.