Porsche drums in its winter car message

BRIAN EARLY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Porsche supplies the vehicles, such as this Panamera Turbo, for students to practise in on this lake in Ivalo, Finland.

Brian Early

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

IVALO, FINLAND–A frozen lake in northern Finland doesn't really seem like a natural place to come to drive Porsches, yet here I am, less than 50 km from the Russian border and about 230 km north of the Arctic Circle, spending the majority of the limited daylight hours sliding several Panamera models around a host of different training courses.

Porsche has long considered itself the maker of four-season sports cars. Part of this stems from the rear-engine layout common to all 911s and their 356 ancestor, a design the 356 shared with the related Volkswagen Beetle.

Later, as Porsche added optional all-wheel drive to the 911 series, this all-weather capability became even more accessible, especially once electronic control systems further tamed the tail-happiness inherent with the rear engined car's weight bias.

Of course, the German automaker has offered more conventional models too, more recently producing an SUV (the Cayenne) and, this past year, the Panamera sedan that is loosely based on it.

While Porsche operates almost innumerable driving schools worldwide (although none in Canada), this facility is one of just three – one in Austria, and two in Finland – that are winter-specific.

Using a frozen lake as the training ground offers unlimited course layouts. Porsche could theoretically just clear whatever configurations it desired within the confines of Lake Pasasjärvi's 7.5 by 1.5 km surface.

It also means there are no trees, ditches or other obstacles to hit. Snow around the groomed sections is cleared to sufficient depth that an "off" will normally harmlessly turtle the car to a gentle stop. A really big "oops" would simply take it into the deeper snow beyond.

Cayenne support vehicles and (if need be) tractors are on hand to retrieve errant cars. While "calling the Cayenne" is threatened to cost the offending driver(s) a bottle of champagne at dinner, a little bit of embarrassment is the only real price, and we delighted that our Porsche Canada host was the first to stuff a Panamera hard enough to require yanking out. He wouldn't be the last, but no champagne resulted.

Representing the third level of Porsche's winter training regimen, Porsche's goal for the "Ice Force" course we sampled parallels the enthusiast nature of the brand: heighten the driver's enjoyment of winter driving and allow them to wring the maximum performance from their car, reinforcing Porsche's four-season mantra.

Winter need not be all glum and cautious, after all. It can, under the right circumstances, be highly entertaining to a driver comfortable with their vehicle's abilities.

At the very least, driving in winter conditions should prove much less stressful if you've established a comfort level with it through some form of professional training.

Our exposure was to a highly condensed one-day version of the school's normal program. Students would actually spend three full days at the school.

Also differing from the official plan was that the models were all Panameras. Attendees would normally drive versions of several of Porsche's products, from the Cayman and Cayenne, right through to assorted 911 models.

Our training vehicles did vary somewhat, as they included the rear-drive Panamera S, as well as all-wheel drive Panamera 4S and Turbo models.

Equipped with Nokian winter tires and 4 mm studs (illegal for on-road use in southern Ontario), grip on the snow-dusted ice surface of the lake was slightly astonishing at times – the all-wheel-drive cars positively rocketed forward under throttle, and even the rear-drive Panamera S could be driven almost like it was on wet pavement with all-season tires.

Most of the day focused on keeping the car as sideways as possible while manoeuvring around pylon courses, figure-eights and several track configurations.

Seemingly out of control while under control, this is essentially "drifting," and it is nowhere near as easy as my group's trainer made it look.

Speeds as low as 40 to 50 km/h strangely felt both incredibly fast and eerily slow as we pirouetted around the courses like graceless mechanical ballerinas.

This clinic isn't cheap; three days of school, accommodation and all meals costs around $7,500 Canadian – not including your flight and local transportation.

What you do get, in addition to honing your car-control skills, is the experience of dinner and a barbecue at a Lapland-style cabin, complete with (optional) snowmobile transportation to and from; accommodation at a nice residence-style hotel; busing; and the use and abuse of the school's vehicles.

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