THE PORSCHE ICE EXPERIENCE IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE IS BUCKET LIST STUFF!
One of the best ways to experience the cool thrill of drifting on ice is with the Porsche Ice Experience. Many passionate customers make it an annual tradition, either with friends or as part of a club event. Once you've felt the adrenaline of pushing a high-performance vehicle on ice, the next step is to explore your limits through individual training with a skilled instructor from the Porsche Ice Experience. Meet Katarina Kyvalova, a speed enthusiast with a penchant for racing. Despite racing being a hobby for her, every moment on the track carries significance. Whether she's pushing a pre-war Bentley in a 24-hour race, participating in the Goodwood Revival, or manoeuvring her classic 50s Cooper T33 through the narrow streets of the Historic Grand Prix in Monaco, Katarina has a knack for driving fast. Even for someone with her extensive experience, driving the Porsche 911 Turbo S on ice proved to be a special and exciting challenge: "I have never driven an all-wheel-drive vehicle on ice before. I’m very excited to see how the car behaves in the drift and how I can cope with it. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it – at the beginning, it’s always a bit like the first time.” Individual training sessions, according to Jukka Honkavuori, the Top Supervisor of the Porsche Ice Experience, offer an awesome experience for participants, regardless of their background. Katarina, eager to improve, looks forward to addressing her specific weaknesses during these sessions: “After four or five years driving on ice, I realize that it's always the same little mistakes that creep in. In my individual training sessions with Jukka, I would like to be able to identify them and get rid of them through targeted training.”
Contrary to common belief, you don't need to be a professional race car driver to benefit from individual training. Jukka notes that many participants spontaneously express the desire for additional sessions after getting a taste of the curves in a group setting. These individuals, having mastered the basics, become ideal candidates for rapid learning progress and enjoyment. For Katarina, adapting to the all-wheel-drive vehicle presented a challenge initially, comparing it to learning to walk. However, once she got the hang of it, the experience became even more enjoyable: “It's actually more difficult to get an all-wheel into a controlled drift. But once I got the hang of it, it was a lot more fun because you can drive the car much harder than a rear-wheel drive.” As for the role of individual talent in motorsport, Katarina emphasizes the importance of intensive training but acknowledges the unique edge that talent provides. Yet, she humorously adds, "Or maybe it just helps if you're Scandinavian to get the best out of ice.” Sharing her excitement after a thrilling lap with Jukka, Katarina highlights the instructor's calmness, routine, and impressive speed in executing spectacular drifts. For her, it was one of the best hot laps she had ever experienced. After an intense day of training, participants like Katarina have the option to unwind and relax. In her case, a fast-paced husky tour through the Finnish forests becomes the perfect choice, reflecting her adventurous spirit.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows just how cool (pun intended) it is to be able to drive one of Porsche's coolest cars at 10/10ths in the snow. A lot comes down to the driver, but it's definitely made heaps easier thanks to the amazing prowess and power delivery of a modern Porsche that has all the best driver-assist features you can get: Magic moments in the Arctic Circle – the Porsche Ice Experience | Porsche
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