Unless you are an intrepid traveller, a research scientist or a restless Eskimo, a trip to the frozen lands of the North is not on most people’s travel itineraries.
Sweden’s Lapland region however believes this could soon change, and is confident it has what it takes to tempt us over by ‘making us an offer we simply cannot refuse.’ Thankfully, it does not involve any Mafia style persuasion tactics.
Quite simply, Lapland offers the visitor the chance to experience the wonders of arctic life at its most magical. It boasts countless attractions from Father Christmas, to the Northern Lights phenomenon, to the world famous Ice Hotel, and these are just the tip of the iceberg (excusing the pun).
Furthermore, courtesy of Porsche, a trip to Lapland had an extra special temptation for me in the shape of the new Porsche Cayenne GTS, ready to be tested on a frozen lake.
Reading this brief, I was quickly convinced that north was the direction to head this January. So packing my thermals, I headed willingly to a region where winter temperatures never rise above freezing, and regularly drop to a numbing -35C.
From the plane’s window, the view approaching Kiruna, Sweden’s arctic capital was not one of a cold and unwelcoming wilderness. Quite the opposite, the scene was picturesque and inviting, with rolling white hills dotted with forests of snow covered fir trees.
In fact, the landscape could have been taken straight out of a children’s fairytale, to the point where you’re almost hoping to be greeted by the cast from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at your arrival; welcome to Narnia friends from the south.
So through the wardrobe, otherwise know as the airport and into the fleet of Porsche Cayennes waiting to take us to our home, the world famous Ice Hotel.
In the arctic, what could be more fitting than staying in a modern day luxury igloo? The Ice Hotel melts away and gets recreated every year using nothing more than the pure, clear ice harvested from the local Torne River.
Creating the hotel from ice is only half the story, as it is the creative design of that building that is truly amazing. Artists from around the world are commissioned to create some of the most spectacular rooms of any building, anywhere. The sheer variety of styles is amazing, with each artist crafting their own concept of luxury ice living.
As well as the bedrooms, there is an art gallery, an ice bar and even a separate chapel. It is worth noting that wedding ceremonies in the ice chapel are amongst the shortest in the world, for obvious reasons.
To my relief, guests are given both a normal ‘warm’ room, in another part of the compound, as well as an ‘ice’ room. Most people spend a night in each.
In the ice room the temperature never goes below -5C whatever the weather outside. Sleeping in what is essentially an igloo has its issues, namely the fact that going to the bathroom is a logistical nightmare. However, all the hassles are outweighed by the crispness of the air in the room which sends you into a deep restful sleep, enabling your dreams to appear in real high-definition-surround-sound clarity.
In conjunction with this unique hotel experience is a programme of Nordic activities to rival any beachside alternative. This includes winter favourites such as ice sculpting, cross country skiing, ski-doing, trekking, reindeer racing and my favourite, dog sledding.
I simply took great pleasure in the calm I experienced behind a pack of 12 huskies cutting across the moonlit arctic countryside. Imagine yourself sailing an ocean of white, where all you can hear in the serenity of the journey is the “swishing” sound of the sled cutting its way through the landscape.
At the end of the trek, we were welcomed at a camp run by the Saami, the indigenous people of this region. Here, we raced their reindeer, drank their hot wine and ate traditional food in their tall tent, with their permission of course.
The next morning was all about experiencing the new Cayenne GTS. So here we were, making full use of the limited daylight hours, having a briefing and a coffee in a Saami tent, this time pitched right in the middle of a frozen lake. All that separated us from the water below was 40cms of ice. There was even an open log fire to add to the whole surreal experience.
The test drive was next, summed up by one Porsche representative “It will be fun, as where better to test a car’s handling than on pure ice, especially as we are not going to give you chained tyres.”
The briefing over, I took charge of my 2 tonne GTS. I was told to push the car to its handling limits on a series of courses which included a drifting circle, a slalom course and a small track circuit created by cutting through the snow.
Worst case scenario, apart from falling through the ice, would be the embarrassment of losing control, and the resulting bruised ego. One major advantage of being in a vast frozen lake is that the run off area is near endless. Basically it was an invitation to drive without obstacles and hence inhibition. And being invited to a party, it would be rude not to dance, so I pushed it.
The GTS took everything in its stride, and frankly made me look like a seasoned ice lake driver. It gripped the surface tenaciously making you forget you were driving on such a friction free surface. In all but the most extreme angles and counter-angles, the Cayenne held firm. Acceleration and breaking performed admirably as wheel-spins were minimised through the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system, which electronically controls the performance of the shock absorbers. It works a treat as even doing controlled drifts on the ice circle the car felt more friend than foe.
The GTS is an impressive addition to the Porsche stable. The car definitely benefits from the engineering rethink that sees the air suspension replaced by conventional steel springs and the PASM active dampers. The result is greater handling as the ride height drops by 24mm.
On the superficial level too, the GTS has improved the looks of the Cayenne, a car that was no ugly duckling. The new Turbo-style body kit, complete with twin rear roof spoiler and huge, menacing 21” alloys, gives the GTS a real mean streets look.
I left the GTS impressed by its performance, and somewhat pleased with my own driving skills on ice.
This was all to end though, as I ended my amazing stay in Lapland as a passenger alongside Porsche’s chief test driver, ex world rally champion Magnus Rehre. His car of choice was not the Cayenne, but rather a blood red 911 Turbo. One hot lap around the lake, and I realised what true ice driving skill was all about.
So as Magnus hand-brake turned the 911 to standstill, so ended this truly remarkable journey, in a supercar, surrounded by supercars, on a frozen lake, inside the Arctic Circle.
