A first: The time I was happy I wasn't driving the 996

We have a tiny place up in the mountains, and I drove up Saturday night to decorate it for Christmas (my wife eats that **** up). About 6:30 the next morning, after first light, I started back to SD. For those of you unfamiliar, Big Bear is at about 6,500 feet. To get back home, the 2-lane highway goes up the 8,400 foot Onyx Summit and then back down to Riverside. I was in our AWD Murano since there are still patches of ice due to snowmelt from last week's storms. After cresting the summit, I was headed back down, and ambient temps were climbing steadily into the 40s. Speed limit is generally 55 unless posted for corners. Every patch I saw that looked like it could have been ice was already melted - so while I was on guard, it seemed like conditions were better than decent. I have - literally - been driving this highway for close to 30 years. I have driven it in white-out blizzard conditions, creeping downhill in 4WD low; I have driven it in Corvettes, Porsches, Jags, pickups, and SUVs. I've driven U-hauls up it, and I've dragged trailers down. When I was young and stupid, I sacrificed countless sets of brake pads until I figured out how to brake properly. Still, it managed to heave a curve-ball my way at about the 5,000 foot mark. There's a beautiful series of S-curves about halfway down the mountain. In anything mid-engined, it is a sublime, if brief, section of road. However, the Murano is no mid-engine roadster, so I was just motoring along at speed. When I crested a rise just prior to the esses, I found myself on a stretch of completely shaded, iced-over road. Due to the slope of the highway, the rear end immediately headed downhill. This stretch leads into an off-camber right-hander, with mountain on the left and a guardrail and a several-hundred-foot-drop on the right. At about the same time I felt the car start to rotate clockwise, I noticed a three-car group heading into the esses coming uphill toward me. At this time. I was nearly sideways, with the median stripes sliding sideways just beneath my seat. At this point, I was already steered into the skid, the car was no longer rotating, but it was sliding nicely toward oncoming traffic. All I had going for me was the Murano's devout preference for front-wheel drive - so I nailed the accelerator and listened to the wheels scrabble for traction and watched the traction control light blink. In what may have been just a second or two - but definitely the longest of my life - the driver-side front wheel grabbed asphalt, pulling the front end forward and dragging the rear end back across the yellow lines into the downhill lane. I still had time before passing the oncoming cars to hit my hazards and try to warn them of the upcoming ice. I patted the wheel and kept on driving. If I had been in my Corvette or 996, I'm not sure I would have kept the car out of the rocks. The Murano just earned a promotion from oft-maligned part hauler to the favorite car I've yet driven in icy conditions.

Nicely done! Ya with awd or even fwd often the best way out of a jamb is to use throttle. As counter intuitive as it may seem!

I was sweating just by reading it. Glad you got out of it safely and with style to boot

Close call but good exit.

Well written -- glad you are OK.

A good lesson for all of us...no matter what car we are driving. Always expect the unexpected. Thanks for sharing.

Video or it didn't happen.

I don't have video, but I'm happy to take a picture of the driver's seat upholstery and send it to you prior to the cleaning it now needs... If I had a microscope, I'd take an even closer look for you.

Pictures of the wife will do..... Sounds like a hairy moment!

During summer, if the road is warm and I'm alone, I blast through that section going at least 3x the posted speed - it's one of the most fun sections of road I know. The curves are perfect and there is no elevation change in that section, so the car never gets light and gives up grip. I thought I knew every inch of that road...although I wasn't being complacent, it was still a valuable lesson. My other favorite mountain drive has a couple of similar blind crests, a feature I will not underestimate in the future.

Nice bit of driving there Ace. Kudos for keeping your head on straight whilst you were sideways on the ice.

holy cow. makes me nervous just reading through that.

Seriously? you want props for a basic rookie driving skill ? How to drive out of a slide.

I don't want or need your props. Have a great day!

leather seats or upolstery ? Leather is easier to clean

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Oh lighten up ... It's ok if you obviously want or need it posting a Lifetime Drama story. Where is the Porsche technical content ? Who played you in the movie 😄

Nice save!

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It's "lighten up, Francis." Now run along and pester someone else.

Glad you make it without a scratch and didn't hurt you or somebody else, now is time to consider if is time to giving up driving this may help, good luck!!! http://www.helpguide.org/articles/ag...afety-tips.htm

I managed to flip a car onto the roof on that same road, due to black ice in a tight S-curve. T'was in my much younger and foolisher days. Was purposely sliding the back on every curve, and was having a blast until I hit that ice. Somewhere I have a Polaroid of it, should look for that.

Caltrans has done a lot of work on the 18 and the 38 over the past decade - a lot of the really dicey stuff has better rails now, and at least berms where there was nothing but cliff in a few spots. There's still no shortage of people finding ditches and trees, though. Last winter some dude pulled into town missing the entire outside skin of the driver door, which was stuffed with bark and pine needles. Awesome.