What Type of Tire Chains Work Best When Going Skiing?

Chains are a necessary part of the ski experience if you do not have 4 wheel drive on your ski vehicle. If you do have 4 wheel drive, you can simply get snow tires, and you will have better traction in slippery conditions. I recommend against the "all weather" tires because they are not true snow tires.

Please remember that 4 wheel drive is a traction advantage for acceleration only, NOT BRAKING. A 4 wheel drive vehicle brakes the same as a 2 wheel drive vehicle, so slow down especially when going downhill.

So what type of chains work best when they are required? I have a very strong opinion about this and yours may be different. If so, please add your comments and advice below.

My personal preference is for chain, not cable devices. Chains are bigger, and heavier, but they break the ice under your tires better than the thin cable "chains". When you need chains, you really want them to dig in, break the ice, and work.

Cable and other devices are lower profile and make it possible to drive more quickly than real chains, but you are more likely to lose control because they do not dig into the slippery surface as well.

So where are the "curve balls" in getting, fitting, and installing chains? First of all you want to go to your tire chain supplier and be sure you get chains that fit your exisitng tire size. Most people think this is all there is to do to fitting chains, but there is one more step.

What you want to do is install your chains while you are still home in your driveway. You will need a way to cut some links in your chains like a bolt cutter. You can borrow one from a friend if you don't already have one.

Once you have the chains fitted on your drive wheels tires (front for front wheel drive and back for rear wheel drive), you'll need to cut off the extra links on the INSIDE of the tire. If you have more than one extra link past where the chains connect to the hook, it will hit things and cause problems. Links on the outside of the tire can be managed by clipping a lose end into your chain tensioners, but excess links on the inside need to be cut off. So leave the link the hook attaches to on the inside of the tire and 1 more link for easy fitting when you need them in the snow.

This is not something you want to be doing on the side of the road in the snow. So fit your chains and tensioner on in the driveway to get the right fit so you do not experience delays getting to the slopes. That is too frustrating!

One more tip on installing chains. Drape them over the top of your drive wheels, tuck the chains under the tire, and then drive over them (getting the chain under your tire)so the chain is still draped over your tire. This is alot easier than trying to fight gravity and pull them up over your tires.

I find I can put on 2 chains simultaneously by myself in under 10 minutes. If you don't have a 4 wheel drive, you need to be framiliar with installing and fitting chains so you can get to the fresh powder. Then you can put a 4 wheel drive vehicle on your "wish list". What are your experiences with chains? If you have any insightful or funny stories, please share them with us, OK?

Larry Conn has snow skied since 1968, and loves visiting Mammoth Mountain ski area so much he moved to that area in 2005. He offers daily ski reports and safety information on his blog at http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/blog/ Now Larry is reviving Mammoth Ski Club for active adults who want more fun, activities and involvement with snow skiing and other activities at Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth Lakes resorts. Get your complimentarty gifts, special report, and be entered in a drawing for a free Mammoth Mountain Season Pass ($1675.00 Value) by visiting http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/