WInter Driving

Since Utah has a reputation for some of the best downhill skiing and snowboarding in the world, no one in Wyoming seems to believe that I'm not used to snow.

In the valleys in the Salt Lake City area, where most people live, it melts in four days at most. (It's only in the mountains that it stays for a long time.) So during "snow storms" you just microwave hot chocolate (OK, so I'm not that gourmet) and delay errands until it conditions improve.

Not here. Life goes on. The snow is here to stay. Sure, it will melt a bit, but I'm not going to see grass and sidewalks for four months or so.

Last night, I went to a dinner party at my editor/publisher's house. She lives on a hill that's probably an 800-foot climb. My 2007 Honda Civic couldn't do it. I was gunning at like 60 mph, creating a lot of exhaust. My car wouldn't move.

Finally, A., one of my Wyoming-born colleagues, parked my car. Then she imparted some advice, which I'm collecting for future blog posts to help others who need to learn winter driving.

1. When you first don't succeed in climbing a hill, try, try again by a) putting the car in neutral, b) letting it roll to the bottom and c) starting again, which may require putting the car into Drive3, or a lower gear if you have a manual.

2. Get snow tires or chains.

(I don't want to spend 400 bucks on snow tires. So I'm in the market for used ones. Unfortunately, the used snow tires for sale up here are all for big-ass pickups. I saw a used pair that are my car's size, with studs, for 75 bucks but they're in Casper. My car cannot make the climb over the Big Horns -- with some peaks at 7,000 feet -- to get to Casper. The other option is chains, which cost like 50 bucks. But you can't drive faster than 30 mph in them. So I'm just watching the classifieds and hoping for some used tires or a fire sale at a local tire store.)

3. If your vehicle is parked on a hill and the car cannot climb uphill to exit the parking space, then turn around and go downhill. If you cannot turn around, then throw the car in neutral and as you're going backwards, crank the steering wheel so that you turn as you're going down. By the time you're at the bottom of the hill, you'll be facing forward again.

4. Pumping brakes. Everyone debates over this one. Some people say pumping your breaks works. Some say it doesn't. I think I'm more in the second school. But luckily for me, I have slid on enough ice in Utah to I know my car and it's brakes system almost intuitively. I sort of wing it as I go.

I'm particularly proud of having accomplished Rule No. 3. Scary as hell -- trying to turn around as your car is in neutral, going downhill backwards -- but I did it.

Before I left the dinner party, everyone gave me instructions, which I repeated back to them before I left.