Winter Roaming – Know Before You Go!

It’s really easy for us to get swept away in the excitement of planning new places to visit and spend a few months exploring. We are fortunate enough to own a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe (jeez that’s a mouthful), so we never have to worry about being able to get in and out of places. Not having the right vehicle is not something I thought about much growing up in Georgia where snow that sticks is rare and it’s not likely that I’ll get stuck on a sandy road. Living in North Lake Tahoe, CA for the second winter season in a row has reminded me that if we didn’t have the vehicle we have, we would be in a world of trouble, especially during blizzards which are not a rare occurrence here.

If you’re planning to roam to a place where there is extreme winter weather, take note of these suggestions.

• This is all precautionary advice. Don’t be afraid to travel to snowy locations as a roamer. Just be aware of the possible challenges and prepare accordingly. Educate yourself and don’t be afraid to get out there. There is always a way out, especially if you are prepared. (Wow I’m starting to sound like my father)

• Think seriously about the capabilities of your car. The first thing is that you MUST have 4-wheel drive and tires with deep tread (“snow tires”) to be self-sufficient. We rescued a pickup truck, an SUV, and a sedan all in just one day who were completely stuck (I mean immovable) in deep snow. This wasn’t in the back country - it was on a neighborhood road. Even if you have a truck, consider if your tire tread is snow-worthy and make sure you always have weight in your truck bed to make sure you can dig down into deep snow (you can pile snow in there or keep sandbags, etc).

• Always carry something to restore traction. Be it Maxtrax or another recovery board, traction mats, or just the knowledge of how to utilize sand/dirt to restore traction. However, in deep snow there will likely be no ground in sight, so carry your own traction device.

• Have a winter kit – keep a blanket, shovel, that traction device, water, some food, snow boots, gloves, etc. in your car at all times just in case you get stuck in your vehicle.

• Follow your local transportation department (we follow Caltrans District 3 for North Lake Tahoe) on social media. Twitter is often where they put real-time updates. Or know how to find road closure information. They close roads for snow removal, safety reasons, avalanche control, etc. You want to be completely up to date anytime you travel.

• Avoid driving on highways or unfamiliar roads at night in the winter, especially high up in the mountains. I made the mistake of driving up through Donner Pass alone at night one time and I’ll never do it again. It wasn’t even snowing but the winds were really extreme at high elevations and snow was blowing off of snow banks obscuring my vision every few seconds. Not to mention our windshield is riddled with nicks, scratches, and a couple nice sized cracks from dirt/rocks being tossed with the snow.

That’s all the advice I can think of right now. Again, don’t be afraid to explore areas that get heavy snow in the winter – just be prepared and be safe and HAVE FUN. If you live in a ski-town like we do every winter, you get access to weekend skiing which means very few people on the slopes and more space for you to practice your skiing/snowboarding. It makes a huge difference in how good you can get in a short amount of time. Happy roaming!