Winter, snow and ice can cause some troubles during normal life but on the other hand, it is also a solid base for adrenalin experience. An option is to leave streets of cities and move to colourful surroundings of Lungau, where a dozen of two-day events took place from January 8 till the end of the month. A mix of drivers compounded of VIPs, top managers, politicians and sportsmen, enjoyed eventful program.

All of them were greeted in what was like a fairytale ambience in mountains. Luxurious hotel Lärchenhof was the main base, its wellness offered not just relax but also much welcomed opportunity to defrost and warm up after hours of fun behind the wheel on nearby track. Mother Nature was very generous regarding weather and snow. The snowfall was counted in meters and the temperature was quite often well under freezing point. Some days even the shining Sun could not warm us up, other days snowflakes about the size of nuts were drifting. Majority of participants took advantage of that and after adrenalin rush behind the wheel of sports cars, karts and quads, they continued with additional adrenalin rush on skis.

Wonderful surroundings definitely helped to create flawless ambience that was supported by a great group of people that looked after all clients. They had a new member this year – a cook. His skills in preparation of delicious food for hungry boarders were broadly applauded and warmly appreciated. The same reward went also to willing and experienced instructors and always smiling hostesses.

Enough about the background, though. The main purpose of several-hundred-kilometres-long trip to the Alps was driving and that, in various forms, dominated the two-day agenda. The very first evening, just after arrival, started with essential briefing and driving theory lesson. Snowmania is supposed to entertain people and provide fun and the detailed instructions help to avoid possible problems or injuries. The guests started to get to know each other during the dinner, which was served in the typical local style called “racklet” when everybody makes his own meat on a hotplate directly on the table.

The first morning started with a short transport to the Snowarena track, which became the main stage for eight hours. Snow and ice brought unrepeatable conditions to learn about different behaviour of differently powered cars as the guests had opportunity to try all different types of drives. BMW M3 E46 is a rear-wheel-drive, Mitsubishi Evo VIII, IX and X are four-wheel-drive and Citroen DS3 is a front-wheel-drive car. It was not only about fun but also about learning the right driving technique which leads to safety driving on normal roads as well. The whole action was supervised by the group of experienced instructors with broad racing history: Adam Lacko, Jiri and Tomas Micaneks, Tomas Arazim, Jara Novak, Erwin Machtlinger, Patrik Winter, Achim Märtl and Wolsfgang Stummer. They were not only patiently explaining everything and giving advice from the passenger seat but also showed their skills behind the wheel of BMWs and Mitsubishis during taxi drives. The guests experienced and tasted driving right on the edge with doors first but the drivers still had everything under control even though the car was sometimes dancing wildly.

Both days at the track offered also additional fun with Rotax Max karts and Yamaha quads. Even freezing temperatures were not enough to discourage the guests. Adrenalin rush can simply make wonders although every opportunity to warm up was afterwards very welcomed. Quite a bit different experience brought RC models. Small cars can be ridiculously fast and it did not take long to show that it is not easy to control them. Zdenek Holacky and Stepan Klohna, masters of this art, demonstrated little miracles with the remotes and gave others some tips & tricks.

The first day on the track was always demanding and exhausting for everyone but no one was discouraged to attend the evening after party in the Schlüssel rotunda where spontaneous good mood was poured to all corners. However, smiles went aside for a few moments before the end of the second day at the track when competition started. Friendship was replaced with competitive spirit, everyone wanted to win and it does not matter if it was in a time trial in DS3s or go-karts races. The top 3 racers of both competitions could enjoy the podium and champagne but the others had also reason for a smile since they received certificates. Happy smiles and many thanks were on the other hand the best reward for the busy team of organisers, as well as a promise to come again next year.