Every year, a handful of the world’s top manufacturers offer an exclusive learning experience to the few who choose to test their skill behind the wheel. It may only just be October, but winter plans for this winter are already underway.
Winter driving academies and programs pop up anywhere from Colorado to Finland, offering enthusiasts a chance to study the form of expert drivers as they traverse ice and snow, taking luxury performance cars into conditions most people are afraid to drive through. Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and more all organize such an event every winter, with a few doing so in more than one location.
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Typically, they’ll last for anywhere from one to four days, and a full experience is built around the lessons. Of course you spend plenty of time on the slick practice roads, but attendees also regularly enjoy the finest lodging and dining you could imagine. If you’re thinking that you’d like to learn how to power slide a Bentley across a frozen lake, below are just a few of the upcoming events for this winter. Check them out, sign up for the one that you like best and enjoy winter driving in luxury.
BMW Driving Experience: Snow Basic Training
From theory to practice, the BMW Driving Experience will take you on a two day journey in Sölden, Austria to become a “snow pro.” The first day covers classroom-style instruction of the theory behind how you drive, and the second has you practice maneuvers such as braking, drifting and swerving on iced over and snow covered terrain.
Lamborghini Winter Accademia
Learn how to handle the Aventador and Huracan on ice and snow in one of two programs held in Livigno, Italy. The “Intensivo Program” offers a one-day intensive course focused on dynamic driving techniques and performance handling. The “Avanzanto Program” is a two-day course for drivers to test the limits of the cars and themselves. Events are scheduled for Feb. 19-22, 2016 and Feb. 21-24, 2016. A special “Pilota Lamborghini Las Vegas” event is scheduled for Nov. 7 and 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Aston Martin on Ice
Two events in two locations will provide Aston Martin enthusiasts with the chance to drive an Aston Martin fitted with 2,000 spikes as a professional teaches different driving techniques. Both scheduled for Feb. 1, 2016, one will take place in Lapland, Sweden, while the other will be in Crested Butte, Colorado. The Swedish event is slated to last four days, while final dates for the Colorado event have yet to be confirmed.
Bentley Power on Ice
Six groups of enthusiasts will gather for four days in Finland at the edge of the Artic Circle, close to the Russian border, to test every limit of the British marque’s all-wheel-drive vehicles. Learn how to drift sideways without losing control and enjoy the thrill of an extreme sport, all while sitting in warm, leather clad luxury. The first event runs from Jan. 27-30, 2016, and the sixth from Feb. 15 – 18.
AMG Winter Sporting
Join experts from Mercedes-AMG in Arjeplog, Sweden, just below the Arctic Circle, for a chance to tame the freezing temperatures in a class suited to your level of experience. Dates run from early January, 2016 to March, with four separate locations offering four different experiences. But regardless of whether you stay at the AMG Lodge, the Hotel Kraja or somewhere else, the driving will leave you exhausted from excitement at the end of each day.
