This winter storm has hit us pretty hard. We have about 2 feet of snow at my house. I had to spend the night at work last night… finally came home about 2 pm. The roads were “ok” … mostly packed snow. I made it 62 miles from my office to my driveway. I rolled the car right into the same spot I dug it out of two days before… then thought I should turn it around so I could exit. Boy was that a dumb idea!
I backed up, could not get it oriented properly, then slid off into the deep snow. It sunk up past the door sills and stopped. The body was high-centered on snow… no traction and could not “rock” it at all.
I think I’m stuck here until it thaws. 🙁
What tires are you using? Not that it would matter in your situation as your car seem really stuck.Here in Norway we use good studded snow tires with fantastic grip so Ice and snow is rarely a problem.
Toyo all-season radials… specifically a tread design that is best on WET, not snowy, pavement. 60% of our days here are wet, 39.5% dry, and 0.5% snowy/icy. Right now we are experiencing a “calm before the storm.” Clear and very cold (-4°F/-20°C). Later today the wind will pick up and snow, perhaps freezing rain, will come back. Proverbially out of the frying pan and into the fire!
It appears that Wednesday will be the first day with a high above freezing, but just barely (36°F/2°C)… it could be 2009 before I’m able to get the car moved!
Doesn`t your wife still have that Jeep ? A 4×4 and a strong rope will free that car in seconds.
Yes. She has a Jeep Liberty. It is our primary means of transportation when things get bad like this. In fact, last night we went out for a nice dinner at The Bistro San Martin as we knew that the weather would make for easy and available tables. I had an awesome dinner of venison chops. Yum!
If I HAVE to get the Jetta out, I can. Otherwise I’m just enjoying being snowbound. 😉
Pardon me, Chuck, if I speak a bit on your behalf..
Yes, CG and the wiff could conceivably get the Jetta out but to those who aren’t familiar with LARGE amounts of wet snow (especially windblown wet snow) there comes a time that *NOTHING* but a real 4-wheel drive (not to be confused with AWD, like a Subaru or a BMW Xi, which are NOT ‘4-wheel drives,’ but are rather ‘extra traction street vehicles) will get around.
(Also, FWD is *NOT* the panacea it’s made out to be..more on that later. Suffice it to say, my DKW van, with *really* aggressive snow tires on it, was eff’in helpless in the snow: my 1200 Datsun, which was NEVER shod with snow tires, was astonishing in the snow.)
I think Chuck has spent some time living in the Colorado mountains and he’s experienced with this ‘problem,’ or as people from the high country call it, “BITCHIN’ skiing, d00d!”
I’m with him; sometimes, it’s just best to sit by the fire, drink massive amounts of a rum-and-butter infused beverage..and *enjoy.*
Melting happens.
🙂
My bride’s Subaru is doing fine in this stuff, but obviously if there was a foot of loose stuff on the ground it would have the same trouble Chuck’s Jetta has right now.
Everyone has seen it, but when I think of trucks pulling cars out of the snow, this is what I think of.
Hehehe…that’s one of the very first videos I ever saw on YT, and having had a Jeep, I’d seen similar things happen, though not from my hand…:)
Pretty sure your Soobie would do OK in up to a foot or so; it’s after that that ETSVs don’t cut it.