[bullrun87]

On the 13th of february I was at my hometown in shimla and it started snowing heavily. The best way to enjoy the snow is to take your car to the open road right. So I called a friend and the two of us drove towards Narkanda. We were driving a hatchback and owing to the large amount of snow in some places, there was a lot of drifting, slipping and sliding. This a a short blog of my 4 hour drive. Here is a short video I made. Apologies for the poor quality photographs, all recordings/pictures were taken with a phone camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ceOb6Zp9wE

We started from hotel Marina in the afternoon.








Stopped for a quick coffee at Buddies cafe near sanjauli





Traffic was sparse





Lots of snow near Kufri











Almost all cars got stuck in this tricky section.



The fog made it tricky in a few areas.





















I got stuck two times in snow and had to seek the assistance of passersby to get the car moving again. We had a really close shave when an Omni drifted straight towards us I had to get off the road to save ourselves and ended up royally stuck. With a hatchback if you brake on you will get stuck or start sliding for sure.

[ssambyal1980]

Thats one of a ride for sure. Driving on snow is the real test of patience and you have handled the vehicle very well. Thanks for the nice photographs as well.

[arun_josie]

Wow!!! Superb drive for sure. Not everyone gets these kind of chances. Lucky you to be a native of Shimla. Awesome pics too!

[gm_arun]

This must have been one of your super cool drive and an advantage of hometown being shimla. Nice photos. Good that nothing major happened with Omni drifting towards you.

[bullrun87]

Originally Posted by ssambyal1980

Thats one of a ride for sure. Driving on snow is the real test of patience and you have handled the vehicle very well. Thanks for the nice photographs as well.

Thanks for the kind words ssambyal1980. I have been following both your excellent recent travelogues and I am thinking of doing the sach pass route this year.

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Wow!!! Superb drive for sure. Not everyone gets these kind of chances. Lucky you to be a native of Shimla. Awesome pics too!

Thanks arun_josie, the last few days have provided the first proper snow cover of the season and I didn't want to miss this chance.

Originally Posted by gm_arun

This must have been one of your super cool drive and an advantage of hometown being shimla. Nice photos. Good that nothing major happened with Omni drifting towards you.

That was a scary moment, thankfully we made it through unscathed.

[Inner Voice]

Like some say, some things never lose their charm.

Thanks a lot for showing us Shimla minus mad rush.

[ssambyal1980]

Originally Posted by bullrun87

Thanks for the kind words ssambyal1980. I have been following both your excellent recent travelogues and I am thinking of doing the sach pass route this year.

Thanks mate!!! Good to know about your plans to drive over Sach Pass. Would be pleased to know your experience. Keep posting. GODSPEED

[jsrakkar]

Those are some fantastic pictures bullrun87!

I must say, even after around 9 years of being a lurker/member, Team-BHP never ceases to amaze me - you think about a topic, and there is a high probability of finding the required information here.

I just opened the travelogues section to get some information regarding Narkanda and Hatu, and your thread was right amongst the top ones!

My question for you and all other members who have undertaken such trips:
We (a group of 10 guys) are planning a trip to Narkanda alongwith a trek to Hatu this coming weekend i.e. 20th & 21st Feb '16 and your pictures have only increased the excitement even more.

Any special things that we should take care of? Though ours is a group of experienced drivers, but not many have experience with snow. I understand, patience is going to be our beshtesht friend while driving over snow. What things need to taken care of?
Also, for the trek to Hatu, what kind of equipment do we need to carry?
Are gumboots/snowboots absolutely neccessary or will semi-rugged shoes like those from Woodland/Quechua suffice?

Any pointers from my dear friends would be highly appreciated!

Regards,
Jaspreet Singh

[bullrun87]

There have only been two or three days of proper snow this season and the weather has been quite pleasant the past two days, so it's unlikely that you will find snow on the road on the 20th and 21st unless it snows again. In case you do find snow, slow progress with constant acceleration is the way to go avoiding braking as much as possible. You can even try reducing tyre pressure . In case you get stuck somewhere you can use dirt/soil from alongside the road to aid in your recovery.. Pushing the car helps too
For your hatu trip, you will find snow up near the top. I'm assuming it'll be a day trip for you guys and you intend to come back the same day. Take lunch and water with you. Gumboots have definite advantage that they are waterproof and there is nothing worse than walking in snow with your feet wet. But there is a compromise with gum boots that they don't effectively shield against the cold. Semi rugged woodlands ought to be fine as long as they are slightly water resistant.

[jsrakkar]

Originally Posted by bullrun87

There have only been two or three days of proper snow this season and the weather has been quite pleasant the past two days, so it's unlikely that you will find snow on the road on the 20th and 21st unless it snows again. In case you do find snow, slow progress with constant acceleration is the way to go avoiding braking as much as possible. You can even try reducing tyre pressure . In case you get stuck somewhere you can use dirt/soil from alongside the road to aid in your recovery.. Pushing the car helps too
For your hatu trip, you will find snow up near the top. I'm assuming it'll be a day trip for you guys and you intend to come back the same day. Take lunch and water with you. Gumboots have definite advantage that they are waterproof and there is nothing worse than walking in snow with your feet wet. But there is a compromise with gum boots that they don't effectively shield against the cold. Semi rugged woodlands ought to be fine as long as they are slightly water resistant.

Thanks for your valuable inputs bullrun87 !

Yes, ours is going to be a day trek to Hatu peak, with overnight stay at Narkanda. The recent pics provided by the Hotel guy in Narkanda (where we'll be staying) are tempting to say the least. Hoping we will get to see some good snow at the peak.
Regarding the shoes, even I'm not much a fan of wearing gumboots, that too for a long duration; will try to arrange the Woodland-ish shoes!

Thanks once again!

Regards,
Jaspreet Singh

[Octane_Power]

Nice pics. The roads look so similar to the ones I go to (drive in snow) here in US.. In snow, power isn't everything. Even with a 3.5L V6 I have got stuck in all my attempts to reach a particular peak, and had to turn back since I had a FWD sedan and only 4WDs could go further.

But driving in snow is fun nevertheless. It's simply beautiful.

-Bhargav

[bullrun87]

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Nice pics. The roads look so similar to the ones I go to (drive in snow) here in US.. In snow, power isn't everything. Even with a 3.5L V6 I have got stuck in all my attempts to reach a particular peak, and had to turn back since I had a FWD sedan and only 4WDs could go further.

But driving in snow is fun nevertheless. It's simply beautiful.

-Bhargav

There is no use of having power if you can't put it on the the road . Driving in snow is always fun but a 4WD should be preferred. Snow tyres aren't available in India as far as I know. Even if they are, they won't be practical as it snows only for a few days on most himalayan areas.

[YoungSaint]

Hi All,

What a lovely place to take your car to! I always think how to handle cars without ABS on such places? Can anyone help me out here? I have always stayed in places where there was no snow and don't have any experience of driving in snow. How to prevent your car from sliding in snow while you brake? I can understand that you have to maintain steady speed to get proper traction but any other tips would also be welcome.

Thanks in anticipation.

[bullrun87]

Originally Posted by YoungSaint

Hi All,

What a lovely place to take your car to! I always think how to handle cars without ABS on such places? Can anyone help me out here? I have always stayed in places where there was no snow and don't have any experience of driving in snow. How to prevent your car from sliding in snow while you brake? I can understand that you have to maintain steady speed to get proper traction but any other tips would also be welcome.

Thanks in anticipation.

Hey YoungSaint,
Although ABS will assist you in most snowy conditions, nothing really helps in slippery black/ clear ice. ABS can only help you if there is atleast some level of grip from the tyres.
It is best to avoid braking as much as possible and use constant throttle input to prevent sliding. Engine braking helps to slow the car down in a much slower and safer way than using the foot brake. I usually shift to a lower gear to slow down or ease off the throttle when in first gear. I also prefer running the car as much as possible on fresh snow instead of clear ice even if it means driving slightly on the side of the road.

[YoungSaint]

Originally Posted by bullrun87

Hey YoungSaint,
Although ABS will assist you in most snowy conditions, nothing really helps in slippery black/ clear ice. ABS can only help you if there is atleast some level of grip from the tyres.
It is best to avoid braking as much as possible and use constant throttle input to prevent sliding. Engine braking helps to slow the car down in a much slower and safer way than using the foot brake. I usually shift to a lower gear to slow down or ease off the throttle when in first gear. I also prefer running the car as much as possible on fresh snow instead of clear ice even if it means driving slightly on the side of the road.

Thanks for the write up. Next time I am in snow I would try and do that. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge.