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Ever since I saw heli-skiing in a Warren Miller ski movie in the early '80's it's been on my bucket list, so I made plans this summer to knock it off the list. The IKON pass includes Jackson Hole, WY and Big Sky, MT on the way to Revelstoke, BC so we packed up the PTT and four of us put on 2,968 miles in 2 weeks as we skied 10 days at these 3 ski resorts. And of course the obligatory heli-trip but our 2 days got cut to a single day due to icing on the helicopter with a big storm that accompanied our journey.
As much as I prepared for this trip, I couldn't have planned for the extreme cold weather that we encountered - several days in the -15 to -25 degree range and the car sitting outside during several of our stays. Without a spare tire I feared a blowout that never happened, and I always checked my car for a failed strut or air compressor that never even hiccuped. After completing the trip and coming home on Saturday my confidence in this car has increased significantly as it performed flawlessly at fairly high speeds most of the way (never got much above 120 mph, but cruised above 100 in many stretches of open road that were smooth and empty of other vehicles).
These cars were built for these types of road trips and held my family in safety and comfort the entire way. Here are some pics: Our first night in Jackson, WY - what a fabulous old town to visit Riding the tram at Jackson Hole and it's infamous Corbet's Couloir - sadly closed during our visit as they prepare for their annual King/Queen competition Big Sky is absolutely huge with tons of great terrain to ski and ride The tram at Big Sky is very impressive and serves some challenging terrain - note the skier at the top of this chute! There was SO much snow, this is an avalanche slide we skied at Big Sky Pulling into Revelstoke - I think my family is smiling because they are so happy to get out of the car. All of our gear for 2 weeks fit in the PTT and we became expert packers by the end of the trip We had a small helicopter that could get us high up into the trees but high alpine terrain was off limits due to the weather An unbelievable amount of snow was waiting for us in the Monashees - untracked powder all day long We made sure we didn't ever cross our tracks The Powder Highway got shut down for several days due to an avalanche, but was clear during our drive out We drove thru a blinding snow storm in Montana and the car drove incredibly well despite the snow and ice buildup all along the vehicle -15 degrees in Bozeman with a light dusting of snow to start our morning drive Last day in Jackson before heading back home to Colorado - this snow had been on the car for 2 weeks and was frozen solid. Not quite sure how the license plate remained clear
Epic ski trip, I'm jealous! I love road trips and seeing places I've never been to before. I live just a couple hours from Jackson Hole. It is a fun place to visit for sure. Glad the Panny never let you down.
Wow ... That's a great trip, the trustworthy PANY never let you down. I am glad you had a safe trip. Did you get any problem with deep snow while you drove through it? Last year, we went to Sierra Tahoe, so much snow our Pan4 drove through the snow and mesh up the low front bumper lip? Plan to resurface the front bumper this spring. We drive our cayenne up this season ...
Wow ... That's a great trip, the trustworthy PANY never let you down. I am glad you had a safe trip. Did you get any problem with deep snow while you drove through it? Last year, we went to Sierra Tahoe, so much snow our Pan4 drove through the snow and mesh up the low front bumper lip? Plan to resurface the front bumper this spring. We drive our cayenne up this season ...
Thanks for the positive comments everyone - indeed it was a great trip in a fabulous car!
We didn't encounter any snow deep enough (or heavy enough as I know Sierra Cement all too well) to have any issues. The car did great in untracked interstate lanes but only 3-4" to get thru and the Panny had no issues at all at 70 mph in the snow. I have the Michelin Alpin tires and they are fantastic in cold, snowy and icy conditions. The only time the car slid during the entire trip was on the ~3 mile driveway to Jackson Hole which was almost entirely covered in thick, pot-holed frozen ice and was slick in spots from thaw/freeze cycles. My confidence is quite high in this car and I've been driving Audi Quattro's for the past 35 years.
Yeah, I hope nobody quotes my original message either but I figured someone might appreciate the pics given the great weather we had for taking photos and the incredible scenery we were introduced to - as mentioned it's really fun to explore new areas and terrain.
I am lucky to have been to Jackson Hole twice, it’s epic, but I’ll stick with our Rockies.
Its been cold here for 3 weeks now and car wouldn’t start only once, I learned my lesson and plug in the trickle charger if it’s going below -25. I hope to take the PTT to the mountains this weekend but we are supposed to get 8” of snow so we’ll see.
I see you have a rear wiper, Porsche should have made this mandatory as any snow gets blown right into the rear window.
we’ve got a winter driving event coming up next weekend so I am excited to see how the PTT does.
Your car is a real beast. By the way, great photos. I hope your ski holiday in Canada went well. Last year my family and I were in a ski resort. I don't really like the cold, so my feelings are twofold from this vacation. That's why my wife likes such a vacation. This year we are going to Europe on vacation. We have already booked train tickets on the db auskunft website. I like this kind of vacation, so it will be very cool. In addition, discovering new countries is always very exciting.
Last edited by Workinsilent; Jun 17, 2022 at 06:13 AM.
A family ski vacation in Canada sounds amazing! I recently visited New York, and the energy there was incredible—so much to see and do, it felt like a mini adventure every day.
