First snow drive in my Jimny; Off-roading newbie shares his experience

I even engaged 4H for the first time during the snow drive.

BHPian RijuC recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Jimny configuration: Stock tyres, no throttle controller, Alpha AT variant, ODO before journey start 7020 km, second service done, no engine oil change, tyre pressure in upward journey= 28 psi in all 4, return journey= 22-23 psi. Received my Jimny on 28 July 2023.

1. 1st Feb evening notifications started pouring in that the higher reaches of Himalayan states received the first good snowfall of the current winter season.
2. On 2nd Feb, dialed up both GMVN Dhanaulti and HPTDC about snow and road conditions. I understood that Narkanda would be a better destination considering this road is a main arterial road for the supply chain and gets cleared by JCB and PWD on priority. By lunch time made the booking of HPTDC Narkanda for Saturday night(3rd Feb). We had work commitments for Monday, hence chose Narkanda (Himachal) over other places in Uttarakhand (Dhanaulti), since the exit is more secure from HP.
3. We considered an extra pair of shoes and socks (for the snow condition), torch and battery lantern, plenty of toilet tissue rolls, 3 them flasks, approx 60 ml vodka in the wiper water tank, MGA tyre inflator (permanent accessory in my car), multiple layer thermal inners, fleece, winter wear, one extra cloth set. Breakfast was prepared from home.
4. Started at 01:46 hours from Gurgaon home. Didn't stop at regular Murthal dhabas for early breakfast & tea break to save time. Reached Kurukshetra Haveli in 3 hours. Fortunately, there was no fog on NH8 and NH44. Had the homemade breakfast there. Then refueling was done at Dhalli at 10:30 AM.
5. Snow on mountain slopes started from Kufri and intensified after Theog. 10 km before Narkanda I engaged 4H. This was my first drive with 4H, and at times I was getting puzzled seeing a few additional indications on the instrument cluster and a little different behaviour, and fuel consumption! However, reaching the destination safely was my priority and we could finally check in at HPTDC Hotel Hatu by 13:15 hrs. It was approximately 8 inches of snow there because the snow level was up to the door frame plastic cladding and radial cups were touching the snow.
6. Next day (4th Feb) early morning it started snowing again, and by 10 AM snowfall intensified. All 4x4 vehicles started moving to their next destination or return journey. We thought let us not wait any more and started for Gurgaon at 11:45 AM. At Narkanda all 4x2 vehicles were skidding or facing wheelspin problems and 4x4 vehicles were recovering them. Hence, there was a further delay of 15-20 minutes to leave the area.
7. Downhill drive through slippery snow was too scary for a newbie like me. Engaged 4H pressed the Hill descent button, and maintained 20 km/h up to Theog where the slippery snow became less. Could see many Jimny plying on Himachal roads. There we met a large group of Thar owners who were perhaps going towards upper Himachal for the expedition.
8. Kufri was a mess, with 1.5 hours of congestion time due to all the nonsense stunts by tourist vehicles. Somehow I could avert any collision with skidding vehicles. We could also see topless men peeing on the road and doing unsocial gestures there. It was an uncontrolled party scene on the road from Fagu to Shimla!
9. Shimla was relatively relaxed and empty. Road visibility was extremely low. Ultimately could reach Solan by 4 pm. After the late lunch, could start from there by evening. It was raining entirely up to Zirakpur. A poor LED headlamp is a major concern for us.

What could have been better:

• 215 or 225 section wider A/T Tyres
• Snow chains set
• A handheld tyre pressure gauge and air release pin (I will buy this shortly)
• Battery cables (I forgot this cable set and left it at home)
• Larger fuel tank
• Sensible tourists!!

Solo travel in heavy snow should be avoidable for a newbie unless he/ she gets some hands-on experience with all the essential functionalities of a 4x4.

Sharing some photographs here:

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