At this time of year, driving down off of Snoqualmie Pass on I-90, it is not uncommon to see vehicles gone ass-over-teakettle off the road. It is remarkable, but my unscientific sampling finds that 4x4 and AWD vehicles -- Jeeps, SUVs, Subarus -- are over-represented down in the ditches. My conclusion is that the folks driving SUVs and Subies too often think that they are somehow not subject to the laws of physics.

All that being said -- and speaking as somebody who has driven all sorts of vehicles on snow, slush and ice for about 40 years -- I can't think of another vehicle that I would rather drive in winter conditions than my Subaru. In the past 5 years I have driven the WRX in a decent number of gravel/mud/slush/ice/snow TSD rallies up in BC and elsewhere and I have been completely wowed by the balance of the Subaru's AWD system. I like to stay out of ditches so I drive somewhat conservatively but I have always been impressed with the Subaru's agility and the ability to power out of near-death "Oops! I am being too much sideways!" situations.

My Hakkas are pretty beat. Might be time to chat with the Kal Tire folks in Cache Creek about some Hakka 4s.