Gillian Moore
Staff Writer
“A pro tip for driving in the snow is don’t stop, you could slow down to like one mile per hour but don’t stop because that’s how accidents happen,” sophomore Nia Hamalainen said. She received this advice from her parents, said.
Now that skiing and snowboarding season is in full blast, students are having to find rides up to the mountain or driving in the snow themselves. While some students take the bus up to the mountain, others face the snow and ice covered roads.
To get to the mountain safely, it’s often helpful to have a car that is made for driving in these conditions, snow tires, and/or chains.
“I drive an all-wheel drive Toyota Highlander. A car with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive will do pretty good in snow. It’s not necessarily about the car though if you know how to drive in the snow,” senior Jack Logan said. Logan has had lots of experience going up and down the mountain as he has been skiing for 15 years.
“Just don’t step on the breaks too hard and if you have the right tires or chains, you’ll be fine,” Logan added. As long as your car has the proper equipment and you have the knowledge of driving in the snow, you will have the tools to get yourself, or others, safely up the mountain.
Students who want to get up to the mountain will find a way either by carpooling, riding the bus, or driving themselves. “Subaru Outbacks, Land Rovers, and Range Rovers are all pretty good cars for driving in the snow,” Hamalainen said. There are risks, however, when driving, especially in the snow and ice.
“One time I was driving up Timberline road and I was going around a corner that was supposed to be like 15 mph but I was going like 20-25. I pressed on the breaks pretty hard which allowed my back tires to skid so I was basically drifting around the corner and a snowplow came around on the other side when I was in that lane. I had to correct the steering wheel really quickly, I almost got plowed, it was bad,” senior Liam Greenhalgh said.
Speed is always important. Even 10 mph too much can be a problem. To find information on what road conditions are like on the mountain, check out TripCheck, an up to date website created by ODOT about current road conditions. Students at Sandy are fortunate to live so close to the mountain and are finding ways to safely drive up there.
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