1 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
2 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
3 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
4 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
5 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
6 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
7 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
8 of 8
Glenn Adams & Merv Dion photos
Story by Pat Harrison, photos courtesy of Glenn Adams, Merv Dion & Dave Svensson
We recently led a group of a dozen Jeeps over the Whipsaw Trail in B.C. and although it was early in the season the route was completely covered in snow. The group consisted of Jeep drivers of all experience levels and although our goal was to complete the entire trail in one day we weren't expecting quite that much of the white stuff. We managed the 90 kilometre trek into elevation and down again by sticking together and using our radios to offer advice and encouragement within the crawling convoy as the familiar trail took on a whole new look and feel.
I've heard that it is rumoured that Eskimos have about 100 words for snow. There are even more ways to drive in it and just as many to get stuck.
Any dyed in the wool northern wheeler thinks snow wheeling is the best kind because it can offer a lot of fun if you are well prepared. Even a mild FSR road can become a challenge if it is covered in several feet of snow, while some of the normally difficult trails can become easier when holes are filled in and the terrain evens out. Even so it bears keeping in mind that the stakes are much higher. Breakages that can leave you stranded in winter conditions can lead to injury, and even death, for the unprepared. Here are a few things I've learned along the way with input from others as well to keep in mind if you are going to exercise your right as a true-blooded Canadian and get out there year round.
DO NOT GO ALONE!
Always have at least a couple other vehicles with you. Often one vehicle is not enough to get you out of a situation. An organized 4x4 club winter run is a great first trail ride for learning. Use your good common sense and try to prepare for everything as if it is going to be a worst-case scenario. It’s always a good plan to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Don't expect cell reception if you are out far enough into the backcountry. We prefer VHF radios these days for longer distance communication capabilities but you'll need to know the frequencies for the local repeater stations to be able to really reach out.
DO GO PREPARED!
Have enough food and water on hand to last each occupant a couple of days if you are any distance at all from the nearest Timmy Ho's. Make sure everyone dresses for the weather and bring footwear that keeps your feet dry. Good boots and wool socks are a must because frostbite sucks. Do not think that just because you may have a good vehicle heater you don’t have to prepare as much, there will be plenty of times when you will have to leave the warm confines of a heated rig. Have plenty of spare clothes and a few blankets for yourself, your passengers and any pets, as you never know what might happen. The difference between wet and dry clothing can be a miserable experience when the temperatures drops. Wet clothes in the cold can lead to bad things fast! Try not to wear cotton as it absorbs moisture. This is a time when layering works out really well as you go from sitting in your vehicle wondering what the hold up is, to digging like an infantryman to get someone back on track. Fabrics like polypropylene wick moisture away from the body and you can get it inexpensively from box stores, but The North Face, Mountain Hardware or Patagonia make the good stuff.
CHECK YOUR RIG!
Make sure you’ve kept up on maintenance of your vehicle and you've got it in good shape. Holding up a group in the winter to do what should have been done beforehand is just poor form old chap! Snow driving can stress parts much more than other times of the year. You will want to be sure your gas tank is full as the skinny pedal gets a good workout in the snow. You will also need a good cooling system in low temperatures because snow creates a lot of rolling resistance that can lead to boiling radiators and cooked torque convertors. Make sure that your grill does not become clogged with snow, which can block airflow through the radiator and the engine bay. If you have an automatic you may want to consider running a transmission cooler to keep it running cool. Breaking trail is particularly hard on the cooling system so you may need to take turns in front when wheeling with a group. Everyone North of Tijuana knows that running straight water in the radiator can cause frozen cooling systems and result in cracked blocks under extreme conditions. Test your anti-freeze mixture if you aren't 100% sure it is good to go.
BRING YOUR GEAR!
Most of the recovery gear that you need for snow is the same as any other terrain. Tow hooks, snatch straps and winches are all important when in deep snow and they might as well be kept handy right from the get go. A snow shovel is an important addition for digging out tires, axles and frames when you are not going anywhere. Tarps are always a good idea as you can use them to keep your clothes dry when lying in the snow under your buddies rig. They work well to help keep the tools from disappearing too. Chains are good for later in the season, when the snow is hard packed and ice becomes more prevalent.
AIR WILL GET YOU THERE!
When you air down your tires you need to have a way to air them back up at the end of the run. Lower tire pressure helps in the snow, where we are talking single digits; I run my 37"s as low as 6 psi and notice a huge difference in traction. Be prepared to go as low as your tire/rim combination will allow for the best grip in snow. Blowing a bead is not fun, with lower pressures there is more potential for the tire to unseat from the rim. You don't want to change a tire in the snow if you can avoid it! This is the time to have an onboard air source. There are three basic types of air sources: Electric pumps are inexpensive and portable and work well for airing up tires but won't reseat a tire bead onto the rim. Engine compartment mounted belt driven compressors produce a lot of air, and with an auxiliary tank they can easily reseat a tire. CO2 tanks are another great choice as they are portable and have plenty of power to reseat a tire. CO2 requires a temperature change and can be less effective in extremely cold conditions. Mount it inside on winter runs to avoid additional external freezing.
DRIVING THE SLIPPERY SLOPES!
If you can't go up hill do not try going downhill unassisted. There is nothing quite like the feeling of being a hapless passenger in the drivers seat as your vehicle slides downhill going wherever it feels. The closest recollection I have was as a young child in the back of granddad’s car watching him catch a few winks at 80 kmh on the highway in traffic! You need to get a feel and appreciation for what your vehicles gearing can do to help you get down hills in slippery conditions. Stay OFF the brakes and let the gearing control the descent. Easier said than done because as you start to slide your natural reaction will be to hammer the brake pedal, which will just lock up your tires. At this point momentum is not your friend. Watch out for glazed over tracks as the first few vehicles get down a hill with ease but pack or glaze the route enough to make the same hill a whole new ball game for the trailing vehicles. Get a tire into the rough stuff on the side if it helps check your momentum. Let the vehicle in front of you complete any descent before you start.
The same snow packing happens when climbing if the first few vehicles polish their tracks by spinning rubber on the way up. If you lose forward momentum don’t stay on the gas. You’ll just make ice or dig yourself a bigger hole to get out of, so back up and hit it again. Be aware that the snow can grab a tire and pull you off your track in a surprising hurry. Top floatation is key, but there are times when you've got to get on that skinny pedal. One of the most important things to develop in snow wheeling is being able to “read” the snow. Soft, wet snow found in the sun is quite different than the hard, cold snow that lurks on north facing slopes and in the shadows of trees. The different consistencies provide varying levels of traction. Wet, heavy snow is often the easiest to get on top of, while dry snow can produce rooster tails off all four wheels and not much in the way of forward progress. Momentum is back to being your friend when climbing so carry as much as you can at the bottom of hills and avoid stopping anywhere that doesn't allow you to get it going again. Let the vehicle in front of you complete any climb before you start.
LOCK IT UP!
Locking differentials are always good in any terrain, but especially in snow. Selectable lockers work the best for snow duty as they can be turned off when traversing off camber slopes, allowing one tire per axle to propel the vehicle forward and the other tire to act as an “anchor” and keep the vehicle from sliding down the hill. Once you get back into the deep snow, the locker can be engaged and keep both wheels biting in for keeping that elusive momentum going. The matched wheel speeds will help keep the tires from spinning and digging you into a new hole. Wide flexible tires such as Dick Cepek Fun Country tires have proven themselves to be the cat’s pajamas for snow wheelers. Tires like these with a flexible carcass, mild tread pattern and wider than normal sizes provide a larger footprint which helps to lower contact pressure. The mild tread pattern works well to propel the vehicle across the snow without digging in. Keep in mind that we are talking about snow wheeling here, which is different than driving on snow or ice covered roads. For snow covered roads you want narrow tires and high contact pressure to cut through the snow to the pavement below.
Expect the weather to change fast, whether you like it or not, Mother Nature and Father Winter will probably decide to mess with you when you don't need it. Keep up to date on the forecast.
After all that advice and information I should add that it's a good idea not to get too confident as you start to get better at handling your new winter playground conditions. If I remember correctly it was me that blew a bead, was stuck on the trail and needing a winch more often than anyone in the group. I was trying to keep moving as much as possible. That really cut in to my trailside story telling...much to the chagrin of no one!