Edmonton motorists still fighting through mounds of snow

Glad I'm out on the westcoast.

Glad I have 4 wheel drive. I've actually kind of enjoyed driving around the last couple days.

+1. I've been going around the back roads for a couple miles around me, pulling people out of drifts and ditches.

No troubles in our front-wheel drive compact with snow tires. All it takes is a little fore-thought and experience and you can often avoid getting stuck in the first place. In our parking lot on Saturday, I just dug out around our car so as to be able to get out of the stall properly, and knowing that the snow would be deep at the road, my wife just didn't let the car slow there by getting enough of a run at it. Earlier in the day she helped push out a 4WD SUV driven by someone who didn't know what they were doing (It may be their first winter in Canada if you get my "drift"), didn't know how to rock, and stopped in the deep snow and got stuck.

My sister drives a similar vehicle. She was going down a main street Sunday, and some numpty who was ploughing the street decided to change lanes with the grader (long before she arrived). But in the middle of a white out, no one can see the 4' snow drift in front of them that the grader operator left. So, she was firmly planted there. She called me, and I came and pulled her out.

So, it doesn't always matter what you drive, or how you drive it. Road conditions can suck hard enough that you are going to have problems no matter what.

I always carry these things in my winter vehicle: First Aid kit, Protein bars, winter survival kit (blankets, small snow shovel, candles, water, deck of cards and a small crib board, in a large clean coffee can). You never know when you will be stuck, and for how long. I add things if I'm in my truck, like towing straps, a hydraulic and mechanical jack, sandbags for traction aid and those excellent Canadian Tire fold able ice cleats.

It's going to get worse if the forecast holds up, as Edmonton is forecast to get another 15-25 cm in the next couple of days.

The big worry for me isn't getting stuck but damaging my car in the deep ruts everyone's pick-up leaves when they drive through the snow. It's fine the first day or so after a snowfall, but once it gets packed down, I'm always worried I'm going to hit a giant rut and damage my oil pan or axle or something.

I've been fortunate so far in my Jetta with snow tires. As Hurley said, it's just a matter of knowing how to rock and not stopping in the deep snow. Carrying a bag of sand (provided free by the city at most community leagues BTW) and a shovel is also a good idea.

We still have a couple of inches of snow in the back alleys and such from the monster snowstorm a couple of days ago that dumped 15cm. The horror. But the rain is busy washing it all away, so we won't have to suffer this tragedy much longer.