Okay, okay, I know - Captain Oates made his fateful walk near the South Pole, but his brand of stoicism lives on in the (some say unlikely) form of Commercial Motor technical writer Julian Milnes. Julian, who spends far more time worrying about being cool than being cold, has been packed off to northern Finland to take part on a pan-European group test. Here's his report so far:
So it seems you've had some snow in England. And as usual things have come to a standstill as mass panic ensues and the Government relaxes in the knowledge that whatever they're selling for cash this week will be hidden under the weather-based headlines. But let's get some perspective here. Having been in Finland for the last few days on CM's 'Arctic Van Test' I've noticed that despite temperatures that reach -38C and a blanket of white stuff pretty much everywhere, the country seems to get on with life as if it's just another day. And the vans have to keep pace without complaint as well.
Pitching the best from Ford, Mercedes, Fiat, VW, Vauxhall (Opel), and Peugeot in such conditions is an excellent way to see just what these vehicles have in reserve. Having started up in -35C temperatures on Tuesday morning at 6.30am (which, for the editor's reference, is 4.30am GMT) we headed to the other side of the country, swapping machines at set intervals for ongoing comparison. And if a van's a poor drive then it's going to be highlighted in these conditions.The roads are permanently snowed over with only two strips of tarmac showing on the major ones and just about enough space on the motorways, but that's not all - drivers regularly fly past at 80mph on the snow-based fast lane without batting an eyelid. Turning off onto smaller roads meant a mixture of ice and snow to tackle (is it any wonder the country has a history of producing winning rally drivers when just about all my Finnish colleagues could drift a 3.5-tonne Transit sideways with grace and control). You'd also think that in such conditions your choice of transport is all-important. But someone out there is convincing the public that Ford Orions are the way to go as I spotted a constant number along the way, though these had undergone the specialist Finnish winter conversion of cardboard over the radiator to stop it freezing.
After a leisurely 768km we arrived at our destination in god-knows-where at 7pm, suitably knackered. But there was one thing I did notice: it was cold beyond imagination, the type that hits you instantly when outside and takes minutes to get rid of when back indoors. However back home I imagine people are threatening to set themselves on fire as the temperature crosses into the minus for a few paltry days......wimps.