How to Drive in Snow Gear

Snow gear--such as helmets, snowboard, ski or tele boots and cold-weather clothing--are designed to keep you safe on the slopes, not on the road. It's certainly possible to drive safely while wearing some ski or snowboard gear, but in order to keep from becoming a road hazard you'll have to remove any portion of your snow gear that prevents you from seeing the road or handling your vehicle.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Step 1

Remove any items of clothing or gear that might obstruct your vision or head movement. This includes hoods, helmets and, depending on light conditions, goggles or sunglasses.

Step 2

Remove the rigid shells from your snowboard, ski or telemark boots (assuming you're using hard boots). This is essential as the rigid soles so characteristic--and necessary--for these boots to perform well on the slopes don't just keep you from placing your feet precisely on the vehicle pedals or feeling where they are, they might also become jammed in between the pedals as you attempt to drive. You can drive safely in most boot liners, as they offer sufficient flexibility and sensitivity to safely work the pedals in the car.

Step 3

Wear gloves only if you're able to adequately control both steering wheel, gear shift, emergency brake, headlights and turn signals with them on. At the least, you'll need to take overmitts off if you're wearing them.

Step 4

Remove as many layers as you comfortably can, keeping in mind that it's much easier to shed them now than while driving. Layers on your lower body will probably need to stay in place, but if the car is quick to warm up you should be able to shed most of your upper layers, down to a mid-layer or bibs, if you're wearing them, fairly quickly.

Step 5

Practice working the pedals with your feet, gripping the steering wheel and manipulating the gear shift before you actually turn the car on. Make sure that the emergency brake is on if this experimentation includes pressing in the clutch or putting the vehicle in neutral.

Step 6

Drive as you normally would, paying close attention to how the gear you're still wearing affects your interface with the car. If you notice any item causing you difficulty--for example, if your boot linings are coming loose--pull over and adjust the offending item before continuing.

Article Written By Marie Mulrooney

Marie Mulrooney has written professionally since 2001. Her diverse background includes numerous outdoor pursuits, personal training and linguistics. She studied mathematics and contributes regularly to various online publications. Mulrooney's print publication credits include national magazines, poetry awards and long-lived columns about local outdoor adventures.

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