• The 2023 edition of the Porsche Ice Experience took place recently.
• Auto123 was on hand to put the Porsche 911 to the test on snow and ice.
Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci, QC – This was the 13th edition of the annual event put on by Porsche, and if the number of goofy grins on participants' faces is any indication, the Porsche Ice Experience will be back next year. And the year after that, and the year after that. In fact, it would be surprising if this idea was abandoned, especially when you consider the brand behind this ice driving concept. After all, Porsche is a manufacturer that made its mark in motorsports.
The brand's top brass is well aware that the bulk of its sales are of high-spec vehicles (Macan, Cayenne), but in the brand's glorious history, the Porsche 911 is the ultimate iconic model. Only the 718 Boxster/Cayman duo comes close, but the 911 remains the flagbearer of the Stuttgart-based company. At the same time, and understandably, the vast majority of Canadian 911 owners keep their car sheltered from the elements come wintertime.
On that point, the manufacturer doesn't quite agree. In fact, Porsche has never hidden the fact that a 911 with good winter tires is quite capable of withstanding extreme winter conditions.
Specifications sheet of Porsche 911
And that's what the Porsche Ice Experience is all about. It’s a very friendly - and somewhat expensive - way to discover the virtues of the rear-engined sports car. So I headed to the Estérel Resort north of Montreal, our starting point for the next day’s adventure on ice.
For globetrotters
To help illustrate out what its flagship car is really capable of, Porsche offers an array of driving-event packages. Customers with deep pockets who are game to travel can attend Ice Experiences in China, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden and elsewhere.
But who needs to travel? We had one right here in our backyard. The experience offered to us by Porsche Canada is called Ice Trial, essentially a brief overview of other ice driving programs. At $3,750 per person, the program is spread over two days, one comprising a reception, dinner and overnight stay at the Esterel Resort and the other spent at the nearby Mecaglisse complex in Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci.
Providing an extra day of fun behind the wheel of a 911, the Ice Intro package is more expensive at $7,400, but with twice the track time, participants come away with twice the driving experience.
The Ice Experience package goes further, costing $8,885 and delivering three days of driving. Of course, the more you pay, the more you learn, and this plan offers the best value (assuming you can afford it in the first place).
It doesn’t stop there. Porsche also offers the Ice Force ($10,475) and Ice Force+ ($13,950) levels, which add one and two days, respectively, to the Ice Experience program.
But what is the Porsche Ice Experience?
Beyond the warm welcome, the hotel complex and the beauty of the Laurentian landscape in the middle of January - it's really magical by the way - the day at the track is what we’re here for.
The cars on hand were all new-generation Porsche 911s (992) with two-wheel drive (S) or four-wheel drive (4S), and all were equipped with the 8-speed PDK gearbox. Which makes perfect sense given the point of this icy exercise: to be able to control the cars on a half-snow, half-ice surface.
Another important detail is that all cars were running on Nokian winter tires with 1.5 mm studs, less biting than the 3 mm studs provided for the Ice Force and Ice Force+ level events.
After a quick indoor group information session in the morning, participants joined their respective groups to partake in workshops. One of those involved an explanation of how to obtain the proper driving position in these cars costing $145,000 or more.
For one, by moving the seat forward towards the steering wheel, the driver's legs must be slightly bent to better react in many situations. For two, the back of the seat should be straightened so that the driver can place their forearms over the steering wheel spoke. For three, the driver's arms should be slightly bent to maximize vision and comfort while driving. Now you know.
Advanced driving techniques
The Mecaglisse facility is large enough for a manufacturer to set up a series of driving workshops at several locations. The groups rotate through those locations.
Our group was sent first to do the controlled skid exercise. Behind the wheel of a 911 Carrera S, drivers had to understand the distinctions between understeer and oversteer. The goal of the exercise was to keep the car skidding around a central point without stopping. Thank goodness for all the space available, because we quickly realized it’s not so simple keeping a rear-engine RWD car in a controlled skid.
The second exercise showed the principle of weight transfer when slaloming. Here, it's all about right-pedal pressure, not to mention the concept of counter-steering to get around the next cone. By activating the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) system in Sport mode, the car is permissive when the slide starts, but as soon as the angle is too high, the system slows down the car and puts it back in the right angle.
The same exercise without any driving aids proved much trickier - and exciting – when it came time to make the car skid. Too abrupt of a steering wheel input and too much pressure on the right pedal can make you look bad.
We next moved to a segment on the track, the numerous elevation changes of which make the manoeuvres we’d just learned more complex, though also more exciting. Essentially, we were on a winding, snow-covered road, but closed and available just for us.
The many turns were challenging, but overall, the car again proved it is possible to negotiate icy conditions with a little bit of willpower and skill. You really have to experience it to understand all the parameters (vision, right pedal dosage, steering wheel stroke, etc.).
The last two exercises were in a 911 Carrera 4S with AWD. The first had us practice skidding by using physics. By releasing the throttle, steering and braking to initiate the drift, all the driver has to do is press the right pedal to complete the drift.
The second exercise allowed us to put into practice the concepts of the previous exercises, for instance the famous "Scandinavian flick", a trick used in rallying to reduce time spent in a tight corner. Once again, all three steps (release, turn and brake) are needed to start a skid in the opposite direction of the turn. As soon as the car is propelled outward, you simply correct by turning the wheel in the other direction and applying the same three steps. When the car is positioned to go, all that’s left for you to do is to accelerate to a skidding start.
My (frozen) impressions of the Porsche 911 Carrera S or 4S
At this point, it's impossible to comment on the car as a whole, since this was my first time behind the wheel of this generation of the model. However, since this was my third time at Porsche’s ice driving program - and I've driven both previous generations of the car - I can at least confirm the 911 is still... a 911!
Yes, the car has gotten heavier over the years and the technology content is impressive, but beyond those details, the 911 still responds like the rear-engine sports car that made its mark on the automotive world. The steering is precise and quick, the flat 6-cylinder engine can revolutionize very high on a slippery surface like the one that covered the corners of Mechaglisse and the handling is simply incredible.
Not too surprisingly, I once again preferred the Carrera S (two-wheel drive), much more playful than the four-wheel-drive version. Let's just say that by deactivating the PSM system, it's very easy to make the rear axle of this great car run free - an exercise I'll never get tired of!
