This post is dedicated to what may be the most important piece of gear any storm chasing powder hound should have in their quiver: good snow tires. Floating may be great in the powder, but not so much on the road. Your fat skis will keep you smiling on the hill but good snow tires will get you there and back.

Many a powder hound has extensively researched the best ski vehicle to suit their lifestyle. And while four wheel drive is great, four wheel drive without snow tires is inferior to two wheel drive with good snow tires. Of course, the ultimate in winter travel convenience is four wheel drive combined with snow tires. But four wheel drive is not a necessity for a New England powder hound.  Even an uber light weight two wheel drive vehicle like my 1999 Saturn SC2 coupe becomes a snow machine with the right set of tires. Ever since I began chasing storms, I have never had an accident nor gotten stuck nor missed first chair due to road conditions.

That being said, not all snow tires are created equally. In the past, I have used Copper Weathermasters and Michelin X-Ice2s and my significant other has had a set of Dunlops whose name escapes me. This season, due to my Michelin X-Ice2s wearing out faster than I had expected, I needed a new set of snow tires. And of course, everyone raves about the Blizzak WS-60.

I am pleased to report that this tire lives up to its hype and then some. My car has been sporting the Blizzak WS-60s since the last week of November but only after this week’s massive dump can I offer up my thoughts now that they have truly been put to the test. Up until this point, they handled the limited amount of snow travel well enough but no better than any other snow tire and dry road handling was a little bit worse.

Yesterday I drove about three hours each way from Ashland, NH to Magic Mountain in Vermont and experienced every type of road condition except dry and fluffy untracked. I considered the driving conditions rather difficult and was unhappy with what I felt to be my safest speed of 10% under the speed limit. However, when night turned to day and commuters started hitting the road, I compared my handling and ability to other vehicles and was stunned. Other vehicles were slipping and sliding every which way while my vehicle was steady.

All snow tires have the capacity for a false sense of security and I always try to be cognizant of that fact. But in three hours of driving, I was never passed once and did plenty of passing without ever feeling like I was “pushing it” just to get to the mountain faster. Comparing my driving and handling to that of other vehicles and also compared to handling I have had with other tires, I am compelled to say that I will likely be a loyalist to the Blizzak line going forward. The performance in this biggest storm of the year with especially wet and nasty road conditions was stunning to say the least.

Yesterday saw cars being turned away from Stratton due to cars not being able to make it up the access road. Even with the Blizzaks, my car actually struggled a bit at the very base of Magic’s access road due to my not carrying speed. But that sure beat the SUV that spun out and went into the ditch that morning or the Cube that slid backwards down the access road as I was leaving. When a powder day lies in the balance (and perhaps even getting to the mountain), I can not understand any reason for not having the best snow tires on your vehicle.