PRO: You get to practice driving in the snow in a very safe environment…read more
CON: You get to practice driving in the snow in a very safe environment.
They put us in late model Lexus's equipped with Blizzak snow tires on a track that was about three lanes wide. We used the entire width of the track and made wide turns. I don't know of any public lanes that are that wide where we would be able to do that. I would've like to also practice driving in more realistic conditions...more narrow lanes and in cars with lower quality tires. Of course they were also trying to help their sponsors (Lexus and Bridgestone) sell cars and tires (they offer a discount on the cars, but not on the tires. Bummer, I'm totally sold on the Blizzaks. The Lexus's were nice, too, but just out of my price range.).
The 2nd Gear course is all day, from 9 am - 4:30 pm. They have you meet at the office/classroom downstairs at the Sheraton Hotel at 8:30 am for check-in, an hour of classroom instruction starting at 9 am, then shuttle you to the track about 10-15 minutes away. Then you get paired up with another student and then you guys take turns behind the wheel doing guided exercises and laps around the track. Then there's a short lunch (sandwich, chips, brownie, and water provided) at the track (no meeting up with your family or friends) and some more classroom instructions before heading back into the car again for more exercises and laps. They say there's about 4 hours of behind the wheel driving, but since you're sharing the car with someone else, you really only get to be behind the wheel half the time, so about 2 hours total of actual driving time.
The course itself was fine--the staff were professional and knowledgeable. I just question the overall value of the course for an individual learning to drive in the snow. At $480 per person, it was not cheap. If your company is paying for you to be there, then that won't be an issue. But if you just want to practice driving in the snow, this is an expensive way of doing it. Since the track is quite remote, about 3.5 hours from Denver, you'll need someone to drive you there, and there will also be the cost of gas as well as 1-2 nights of hotel stay.
Would I do this course again? Only if money was no issue, or if they lowered their rates. Otherwise, I would buy their instructional DVD and take my lesser car with balding tires to a vacant parking lot, or a deserted road, and practice for free. The "certification" was useless for me, as my auto insurance co (USAA) would not give me a discount for taking it, unless I was 55 or older. I didn't do it for the certification, but the discount would have been nice.
Overall, it was "A-OK" for me, not bad.