No, I don’t have a flat tyre. It’s just that time of year again to get down and dirty and a little jack. Every autumn Norwegians are required to “sko om bilen” (change the shoes on their cars), and for a very good reason. Even the main roads in the North get covered in a thick layer of snow and ice during the winter. Forget all about salting or ploughing – the only remedy is deep-treaded tyres with solid metal studs on them. After all, we do want to avoid situations like this one in Seattle, WA:

We are used to these conditions up here, though. Every learner driver in Norway is required to take a one-day crash course (pun intended) in driving on slippery roads. But in Tromsø, I still find myself sometimes getting stuck trying to climb up the hill to our house. The only thing that can be done is to park at the bottom and wait for better days.