Ice Driver Sweden Trip

[kaylz_555]

Hi folks,

I've been a busy bee this week as has Neil at Ice Driver.

Ice driver will be featured in Total Impreza this month.

I've finally managed to come up with a group event of a lifetime - with some pretty good discounts too.

ALL of the INFO as forwarded from Neill:

Ice Driver Sweden 2009 – Event Ideas for SIDC.

Ice Driver Sweden is unique. Not just a winter rally school, this is Scandinavia's

premier winter driving experience. No other organisation offers you the same

combination of specially prepared cars, our race track made from ice, our professional

instruction, the stunning winter wilderness and quality hotel accommodation.

Each year, Ice Driver is chosen by a huge variety of people, companies and driving

organisations as their venue of choice for winter rally driving events, advanced car

instruction and a great corporate driving event. Our guests have included everyone

from world champions of motorsport to car and track day enthusiasts to corporate

event guests and conference organisers. There really is no definitive way to describe a

typical Ice Driver client. You're all different and all we can say is that if you enjoy

driving, regardless of your driving experience or background, you'll love Ice Driver.

Company Ethos.

You never stop learning. We believe driving should be the same. Coming to Ice

Driver should be more than a great corporate event, a great weekend break or winter

rally school day.

It's all of those things and more. We aim to send you home a faster, better, far more

confident and safer driver than when you arrived. Our instructors are specifically

chosen for their passion for driving and their ability to impart those skills to others.

That’s not to say you’ll be going back to school, nobody likes that. But you’ll be

stretching your own abilities in a safe and controlled environment.

Our instructing style is motorsport based, not safety and defensive driving based, but

you don’t need to be a competitor to benefit from what we teach. You’ll be learning

techniques that go far beyond weaving through cones and how ABS works and you’ll

leave us wanting to know more.

Logistics and Other Information

Travel

We are always on hand to provide advice on travel to Ice Driver. Many corporate

events like to have a member of their staff travelling with the group from the UK.

This is generally a member of the corporate group’s personnel, however, we can

arrange a member of Ice Driver to guide groups on their journey if required.

Although direct flights to Ostersund from the UK are not possible by scheduled

carrier, the Swedish transport system is excellent and onward ravel by train or internal

flight is simple, with a short 40 minute transfer from Ostersund airport or a five

minute journey from the local station.

A member of the Ice Driver team will meet you at either Ostersund airport or Bracke

rail station for the short transfer to the hotel.

Our Travel Guide download gives full details of suggested travel routes together with

contact emails, telephone numbers and websites.

The Venue.

Bjorkknasgarden Hotel and Conference facility is located 45 minutes from Ostersund

and just ten minutes from our driving lake. The independent, family owned hotel has

extensive, fully equipped conference facilities for a wide variety of group sizes and

free wireless broadband. The A La Carte menu is created using local ingredients and

has been awarded the Swedish Smariket seal. Smakriket is shorthand for taste, the

hotel using locally produced goods, top quality and a clear origin - quite simply the

best that Jämtland and Härjedalen small-scale food production has to offer.

The Surface.

It’s a lake. Not a forest road with snow on, but the surface of a frozen lake. You will

be driving at speed on a surface you can barely stand upright on using World Rally

Car competition tyres. But it’s not just a great big supermarket car park to slide

pointlessly around on, it’s a race track made from ice. Our tracks are each around

2kms long, 20 metres wide and are specially created from GPS co-ordinates each year

to our own design.

The Cars.

The Ice Driver cars were all built by experts in their field. None of our cars have

electronic driver aids, so there’s no ABS braking, traction control or stability control.

All our cars run on competition specification World Rally Ice tyres, just 5 inches

wide, but with hundreds of aggressive titanium studs to grip the surface of the lake.

Ford Focus Group N

Built using Ford Motorsport parts supplied by Team Birkbeck Rallysport

1.8 Zetec engine

Lightweight flywheel

Solid engine mounts

Sabelt harnesses

Safety Devices six point cage

Quaife limited slip differential

Terraform intercom

Subaru Impreza Turbo Type RA.

Built by Scooby Clinic, the biggest independent Subaru specialists in Britain

Custom ECU map

Front mount intercooler

Scooby Clinic twin piston front brakes

Safety Devices six point roll cage

Four point harnesses

Terraform intercom

Plate limited slip differentials front and rear

Torsen centre differential

340 Bhp, 330 Ft Lbs torque

Porsche 911 3.0

Our air cooled Porsche 911 is quite a well known car. Previously owned by the late

Steve O’Rourke, manager of Pink Floyd, it’s spent most of it’s life on track.

Bob Watson blueprinted engine

Competition clutch

Safety Devices cage

Porsche Cup seats

Fout point harnesses

Terraform intercom

Limited slip differential

Bilstein suspension

BMW M Powered Rally Car

Built by one of the leading Irish WRC teams for staff to use in their spare time, except

they never get any….So Ice Driver bought it.

Seam welded BMW Compact shell

Tig welded integral roll cage

Recaro carbon seats

Five point Sabelt harnesses

Terrafrom intercom

Hard lined brakes and hydraulic handbrake

Competition fuel cell

320 Bhp M3 Evo 3.2 sic cylinder engine

Very short final drive LSD

Suggested Schedule For Subaru Driver’s Club Event

Arrive at Bjorknasgarden Hotel for welcome reception and dinner.

Day One

07.30 Smorgasbord breakfast in the dining room

08.15 Meet in hotel reception area to be taken for the Ice Driver briefing

08.45 Transfer to the driving lake by minibus

09.00 Exploratory laps of the ice in the Ice Driver cars, discovering the amazing

levels of grip from the studded tyres and learning the techniques for driving on the

frozen lake. The driving sessions alternative between the fleet of cars, learning first

hand the different techniques for front wheel, rear wheel and four wheel drive.

12.00 Lunch at the hotel, or served at the lake depending on your preference

13.00 Back onto the ice for more Ice Driving and the chance to practise high speed

driving skills

16.00 Sunset and back to the hotel

19.00 Three course dinner from the hotel menu

Optional.

21.00 Evening session in the traditional outdoor hot tubs, fired with birch logs, the old

fashioned way. These are situated beside the hotel lake with changing facilities

nearby, together with traditional saunas. Always a big hit with our guests and an

excellent way to unwind - drinking beers and champagne and boasting of the day’s

driving exploits. While the braver may chose to roll in the snow….

Day Two

08.00 A small lie in, then breakfast.

09.45 Depart for airport or rail station for the journey home.

Or Take the Two Day Event Option…

09.00 Back to the lake for more ice driving, fresh from the previous days experiences

and building on the skills you've learned.

12.00 Lunch at the lake or return to the hotel

13.00 Either:

Time to put the polish on your driving. You’ll be expected to show us what

you’ve learned in your final sessions before…

15.30 A high speed passenger ride with your instructor.

16.30 Return to the hotel for a shower and relax

19.00 Awards ceremony. A light hearted moment with awards for silliest hat, biggest

snowball, or anything else we can think of.

20.00 Dinner in the hotel restaurant, then to the bar for bragging rights

OR

08.00 A small lie in, then breakfast.

09.00 Back to the lake for more ice driving, bulding on the skills you've learned on Saturday

12.30 High speed passenger ride with your instructor, showing just how fast you really can go across a frozen lake

13.00 Lunch at the lake or return to the hotel

14.00 Snow mobile trekking through the forests and return for dinner at the hotel.

16.30 Return to the hotel for a shower and relax

19.00 Awards ceremony. A light hearted moment with awards for silliest hat, biggest snowball,or anything else we can think of

20.00 Dinner in the hotel restaurant, then to the bar for bragging rights

Day Three

08.00 A small lie in, then breakfast.

09.45 Depart for airport or rail station for the journey home.

Or Take the Three Day Event Option….

08.00 Or whenever you rise for breakfast….

10.00 Chose some adventures to explore the area:

Take Stroll…

If you’re feeling really fit, take a power walk across the lake outside the hotel across

to the island and see if you can beat Andy’s time of 12 minutes 57 seconds. We

always seem to get competitive….

Snow Mobile Safari.

Trek through the forests and across the lakes on snow mobiles. Typical riding time of

around 2 hours, but you could book a full day with a barbeque lunch. Depart or return

to the hotel in true James Bond style.

Cost £100.00 for around 2 hours

Cross Karts

Similar to a Honda Pilot, drive for around 1 hour around the off road course. Great

fun and very tiring to drive.

Cost £75.00 aprox.

Costs and What’s Included.

The prices quoted below are all inclusive of the following:

Accommodation on a shared room basis at Bjorknasgarden Hotel.

Smorgasbord breakfast at the hotel, lunch and coffe, snacks and refreshments

throughout the day

Your chosen driving event, instruction, fuel, event insurance etc.

Transfers to and from Ostersund airport or Bracke rail station

You are responsible for:

Your travel arrangements to either Ostersund airport or Bracke station

Your evening meals – a varied choise in the restaurant, from a simple steak

sandwich to A La Carte in the restaurant

Your bar bill and extras charged to your room

Extra activities you chose to book, such as hot tubs, snow mobiles etc.

As a rough guide to costs, drinks at the hotel are broadly similar to prices charged if

you were on a night out in a large town centre in the UK.

Event Costs.

One day event, as described above, £825.00. Includes two nights hotel

accommodation.

One and a half day event, as described above, approx £1,000. Includes two nights hotel accomodation.

Two day event, as described above, £1300.00. Includes three nights accommodation.

Third day event prices as described above.

Snow mobiles – from £100.00 for approximately two hours

Cross Karts – from £75.00

Hot tubs and saunas – bookable as a package, regardless of the number of bathers £250.00. Can accommodate up to 12 people in the hot tubs, plus the same again in the saunas.

Additional nights hotel accommodation £90.00, can be charged directly.

Safety.

Safety is our top priority here at Ice Driver, both for our staff and our guests. Here are

details of our safety procedures and help to dispell a few myths about driving on

frozen lakes.

Firstly, the ice. The number one question by far is, "How do you know the ice won't break?"

Before we even drive one car out onto the ice, we've been monitoring conditions for months, since the beginning of autumn, in fact. We test drill the ice and check the thickness and monitor it throughout the season We undertake a written risk assessment programme every year to constantly review our procedures and ensure we're as safe as possible. Copies of this are available on request. Public liability insurance is carried, copies of the schedule are available on request.

Before anyone heads out onto the ice, we hold a mandatory safety briefing for all

participants. This will cover safety procedures, driving techniques and the controls of

the cars. All participants are required to read and sign an indemnity to state that they

fully understand the safety brief.

We have a separate viewing area for spectators. This is explained at the safety

briefing and is in a safe area of the venue, but still affords a good view of the track.

The Environment

We are sometimes asked about Ice Driver and our impact on the environment, so we think it worthwhile to answer a few of the more obvious queries Firstly, the surface. Unlike most racing circuits constructed at vast expense using materials such as concrete, asphalt and other mined and excavated materials, our track is made from a 100% natural and renewable material - water. We use no chemicals or other additives to promote ice, we simply let nature take it's course and monitor the creation of ice. Once we're happy there's enough of it, we sweep away the snow using a blower and we're done. When spring comes, our track disappears leaving no trace that we have ever been and then we wait again for next year. We carry environmental spill equipment in the unlikely event of an oil leak and always ensure that nothing is spilled onto the surface of the ice. How many other venues can claim to have a 100% natural, bio-degradable track surface? Our cars all run standard unleaded fuel. Our northerly location means that E85 Ethanol is not yet widely available locally, but we're conducting tests and as soon as we can see the benefits and know that it's viable, probably for the 2009 season, we will commence using it. Wherever possible, our staff use the Swedish rail system for travel. The high speed,

electrically powered trains use current pulled only from hydroelectric and windpowered sources giving probably the most efficient public transport system in Europe. We recommend our clients use the rail system for travel within Sweden.

I hope this gives you a flavour of the experience we can bring to your event. You will

doubtless have many questions relating to this proposal, so feel free to contact us with

any queries, no matter how small.

Best regards,

Neill Watson

Ice Driver 2009

PLEASE NOTE: There are only a maximum of 12 spaces. Obviously 2 of those are gone!

If you would like more details on this trip and are interested in sticking your name down - For initial interest ONLY then you can either PM me or alternatively contact me via mobile 07894 529 782.

If this credit crunch is hitting you hard especially with xmas coming up then a 2010 trip may also be available. If you would be interested in this trip then let me know.

Please check out the website in the mean time: www.icedriver.co.uk

Cheers,

(Phew!)

Kaylz

Edited November 8, 2008 by kaylz_555

[scooby222]

oo tempting-time to drop hints about xmas presents...

[kaylz_555]

http://uk.youtube.com/user/IceDriverTV

Here's a short clip.

Full details now posted.

Dates available for the trip are the first week in March 2009 and the first week in March 2010.

Edited November 8, 2008 by kaylz_555

[craigdmcd]

Damned Credit crunch!! Looks like saving up for 2010 it will be then (just have to explain to the wife why not all the money I'm saving is for the Disney Cruise)

[kaylz_555]

Damned Credit crunch!! Looks like saving up for 2010 it will be then (just have to explain to the wife why not all the money I'm saving is for the Disney Cruise)

Tell me about it mate! It's looking like it will be the 2010 trip, as thats been the best response. The only problem is they run for 2 months a year on the ice so overall, thats not very many slots per year! That also explains the price!

I'm hoping to confirm bookings by April 2009 for the 2010 trip as that gives us a good chance at getting the best week - ( the first week in March - which is the last week they run per year).

There is another option which isn't all through Ice Driver.

We are going for the 3 days (4 nights stay) worth of events and we are booking a holiday in Sweden, as nearby as possible for 3 days afterwards. That will give us 7 nights in Sweden and returning home on the 8th day. It's a long way to go for 3 days but I'm sure no matter what everyone chooses to do it will be well worth it! There is no option set in stone. As long as we have a minimum of 9 people for the first day, the other days are flexible to each individuals preference.

I currently have 4 confirmed spaces taken and they are for the full 4 night stay 2010. 8 remaining - maximum.

Damn mate I wish I'd heard about that Disney cruise!

Cheers

Kaylz

Edited November 8, 2008 by kaylz_555

[bobbyc]

Count me in kaylz

just slipped it into the conversation with Mags on the phone, she said fill your boots how much does that cost ? if it's a subaru thing i'm probabaly better not asking,

& on ice sounds fun

[kaylz_555]

Count me in kaylz

just slipped it into the conversation with Mags on the phone, she said fill your boots how much does that cost ? if it's a subaru thing i'm probabaly better not asking,

& on ice sounds fun

Fantastic mate! I think even the travelling there will be a good laugh for us all. I'm even looking forward to that part! It's a 4 hour train trip once we get there so that will give us a good chance to see the scenery. I don't know who will be the nominated photographer yet And also I'm sure there will be a few rather "merry" people in the group on arrival!

I also think mags was right as you do go nuts when it comes to anything to with A - your car and B Subaru related trips or places! Absolutely nothing wrong there though! Gordon does sigh and ask "where are we going now?" but he enjoys these things too so it's all good. I'll stick up some pictures tmrw too of the birthday presents...it looks like the car had a birthday!

Cheers

Kaylz

[Spaceman]

Now that WOULD be a trip of a lifetime ! wonder if Mrs Bus would buy me it for ma 40th!?

So are you looking a the £1300 option as a group?

Gus

back to the future is it old yin lol

Wee baws oot

[Spaceman]

Now that WOULD be a trip of a lifetime ! wonder if Mrs Bus would buy me it for ma 40th!?

So are you looking a the £1300 option as a group?

Gus

back to the future is it old yin lol

Wee baws oot

[craigdmcd]

Damn mate I wish I'd heard about that Disney cruise!

Cheers

Kaylz

Disney Cruise is the Bees Knees, and makes the Ice Driver trip look very cheap. Unfortunately I love my 6 year old daughter more than my Scoobies, so she gets spoiled before them.

[kaylz_555]

back to the future is it old yin lol

Wee baws oot

That's a shame!!!

Yeah hopefully the £1300 - £1400 for us all each. Remember the 4th night at the hotel is an extra £90 and includes your breakfast the following morning. You don't have to do it all though, you could go home after the first days events. Like I said we need a minimum of 9 people for the first days events to entitle us to our discounts and then after its up to you.

Disney Cruise is the Bees Knees, and makes the Ice Driver trip look very cheap. Unfortunately I love my 6 year old daughter more than my Scoobies, so she gets spoiled before them.

I believe you mate - I was being serious

Family always comes first!- Unfortunately don't have any kids yet!

Cheers

Kaylz

[scooby222]

if its 2010 then im in! gives me a chance to save. looked at doing it 2 years ago but between work and other stuff havent had a chance since,though then the last week coincided with rally sweden which i was going to stay on for,wonder if it will again?

[kaylz_555]

No idea mate, would be good though! - Mind the deposits will be due around April next year, which of course will be non-refundable and payable direct to Ice Driver. I'm having another wee chat with them tmrw to finalise some details and will let you all know how much the deposits going to be and by which date.

If you are going to go - please remember the 4th nights accom is extra and if you are choosing your events on the 3rd day i.e. snowmobiling and ice karting - the charges will apply on top of the £1300.

E.G:

2 full days driving and 3 nights accom = £1300

4th night=£90

Snowmobiling=£100 approx

ice karting=£75 approx

Evening meals for 4 nights and of course your bevy's= upto you (min £100)!

On the lake hot tub= £20 pp / 12 persons.

Return Flights=£160 approx

Train ticket return= £10 approx

Total=£1855.00

I'd just hope you take all this into consideration before deciding to go.

It's a big price but like Neill @ ID says - it's a big event!

Plently time to save up as the balance wouldn't be due until approx Jan/Feb 10!

I have really investigated this and there are slightly cheaper options at first glance although they add on insurance, petrol, tyres, wear and tear - and if you damage the car you pay for it! Don't know about you guys but I ain't taking that risk! So by the time they add everything up - it ended up being more than this.

Another point - it's guaranteed to be on ice.

Other schools dissappointed many clients by arriving and being told - "oh the ice isn't solid enough" or other excuses "but you can drive in the forest instead" - again, I'm not taking that risk, as I could do that here!

I'll update with the rest of the details tmrw folks,

Cheers,

Kaylz

Edited November 9, 2008 by kaylz_555