I was sitting in the passenger seat when the Jaguar F-Pace SVR careened out of control and landed in a snowbank nose first. The driver said: “Oh, my God. Holy shit.” Me? I laughed. And that, right there, is the beauty of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Ice Academy.
You can lose control of a vehicle, end up in snow so deep you must get winched out, and it’s funny because JLR has created a safe space for you to fail.
In fact, our instructors essentially encouraged us to fail so that we could better learn the limits of the vehicles we were driving and how to correct the inevitable skids.
The best thing about the JLR Ice Academy, however: It’s open to the public.
@jillciminillo When ice driving goes wrong. Yeah. So, I think we’re going to need a recovery. 😂 Note: I wasn’t the driver. Closed course, in a right-hand drive @jaguar #fpacesvr … #cardujour #jaguar #jaguarfpace ♬ original sound – Jill Ciminillo
About the JLR Ice Academy
Located in Arjeplog, Sweden – about an hour south of the Arctic Circle – the JLR Ice Academy offers five different handling circuits on top of Lake Kakel, including a drive circle, slalom course and ice track. And during a 3- or 4-day experience, you have access to all of them.
While I was able to experience both Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles as a member of the media, the general public will have to choose Land Rover or Jaguar.
The experience typically starts with basics like how to control a skid and progresses to intermediate skills like controlled drifting.
Since our time at the program was abbreviated, I can’t say I mastered the intermediate skills, but I definitely feel more comfortable with slipping and sliding on ice, and I better understand vehicle weight transfer and the idea of turning a vehicle with throttle pressure rather than turning the wheel – skills I hope will help me during my next run at the Rebelle Rally.
My favorite exercise at the academy: The drift circle. We were driving Jaguar F-Type AWD models and pushed our speeds up to about 60 MPH while sliding sideways around the curves. I’m not going to lie: I did not do this perfectly, and there might have been some donuts to be had – in the middle of making a big donut. But spinning around and applying enough throttle to end up pointing in the right direction at the end of the spin was a thrill.
Lessons learned
The biggest thing you learn about driving on ice is that your actions are often counter intuitive. But the repetition of the exercises creates a muscle memory you bring home with you – and makes you a better all-around driver in your own vehicle.
The JLC Ice Academy was a big playground, as well as an opportunity to pit a Land Rover Velar against an Evoque or a Jaguar F-Pace against an I-Pace to see how vastly different these vehicles behave on the ice. This brings an understanding that your own vehicle will also be different, and it’s worth finding an empty parking lot at home to test its capabilities and reactions.
But perhaps the biggest lesson learned is how to be calm under pressure. The more you drive in life, the more likely you are to experience a skid in ice or rain, and the panicked reaction is to slam on the brakes. But that – along with some oversteering – is exactly what threw our car into a snowbank. Knowing when to steer, when to brake and when to apply the gas is invaluable. And doing it with a sense of calm adds grace and finesse to your maneuver.
JLR Ice Academy nuts & bolts
This experience is amazing. Where else can you learn invaluable driving skills in a safe environment under expert instruction while also doing something super cool. This is adventure travel at its best.
What’s more, you can tack on extra experiences like driving up to the Arctic Circle or dogsledding.
The base of operations for the JLR Ice Academy is the Silverhatten Hotel, which is an hour and 15 minutes from the airport at Arvidsjaur, Sweden. Prices will vary based on whether you opt for the 3- or 4-day experience, ranging from $6,527 to $7,895. Then there will be additional costs if you book any excursion on top of that. However, the fees include accommodations, meals and transport to and from the hotel. At an additional cost, you will need to book your own flights from your home base to Arvidsjaur.
If you’re lucky, Sweden might just throw in the Northern Lights for free.
The bottom line
This experience isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every penny you’ll spend. From eating traditional food like moose and reindeer (sorry, Rudolph) to learning new skills and seeing amazing vistas, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that would be hard to replicate on your own.
Just be sure to pack warm. Our temperatures ranged between 15º F and 23º F. So, handwarmers, scarves, hats and base layers – in addition to a windproof-but-warm outer layer – are a must.
Oh, and don’t forget your camera. You’ll want to capture it all.
For more on the JLR Ice Academy information, be sure to visit either the Land Rover experience website or the Jaguar experience website.
Editor’s note: Impressions from this Ice Driving experience are from an invitation-only automaker event that allowed special access to the vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover covered our accommodations, meals and transportation costs.
