Pole Cats

Adam Hay-Nicholls drives Jaguars sideways at speed in the sub-zero Swedish wilderness

- Adam Hay-Nicholls

IT’S normal to floor a car’s accelerator at the flicker of a green light, but what I see ahead seems otherworldly. Dancing and shimmering across the clear night sky, above a line of snow-laden pine trees, are the emerald ribbons and flares of the Aurora Borealis. This is no ordinary racetrack I’m staring down. Illuminated by the Northern Lights, this is Jaguar Land Rover’s Ice Academy.

We’re in Arjeplog in northern Sweden, 35 miles outside the Arctic Circle, driving and drifting on a frozen lake. It’s –27ËšC, but the adrenalin rush of these winter games keeps me warm. Studded tyres and 4ft-thick ice combine to provide the most exciting track I’ve ever driven on.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has snow ploughed seven courses, equalling 40 miles of track, and handed me the keys to a fleet of vehicles, directing me to drive as sideways as possible. The tracks comprise drift circles, slaloms and dynamic handling circuits, all individually designed to discover the power and agility of the machinery.

The trip includes three days of driving, with a travel day either side when you can relax and ride around on husky-pulled sleds. I’m on the advanced course, which involves more time in the 575bhp Jaguar F-Type SVR Coupé, a beast in any conditions. The price of this adventure is €4,250. By the end, you’ll feel as if you’ve gone from rank amateur to ice-driving pro.

The key to enjoying the driving and getting the best out of yourself is to be relaxed, but you’re not going to be that way if you’re at risk of a telling-off. The instructors recognise this. Both are professional racing drivers: Geoff Bowes is a calm, fatherly figure, quietly encouraging, and Zac Chapman (a dead ringer for Daniel Radcliffe) laughs off the inevitable spins.