Driving on Snow and Ice: Training for More Control
03.02.2026 | from Touring Club Suisse (TCS)
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Image rights: Touring Club Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzero - TCS
03.02.2026, This year, the wintry conditions on the roads can prove deceptive. Between thaw periods and cold spells with snowfall, drivers must show a high level of adaptability at the wheel. With the February holidays approaching, numerous trips across the country are expected, especially towards mountain regions, where drivers may encounter snowy or icy roads. Until the end of February, TCS offers winter driving courses - an opportunity to gain confidence and prevent accidents.
This winter, the traffic conditions on Swiss roads have been particularly changeable. Fog, sunny thawing phases, snowfalls, and icy roads alternated and forced drivers to be more cautious. Even with adapted equipment, one can quickly get into trouble under wintry conditions. Driving errors are frequent: inappropriate speed and too close a following distance are among the most common causes. 'Most people forget that snow significantly increases the braking distance,' explains Adrian Suter, Head of Education and Development at the Touring Club Suisse. Many drivers do not know how to react when their vehicle starts to skid.
Specialised Centres for Training Under Real Conditions
Given these challenging conditions, training in a safe environment helps develop the right reflexes and better anticipate risky situations. In addition to the fifteen driving training centres accessible year-round in Switzerland, TCS runs special winter courses for driving on snow and ice in two centres during the winter season. These are located in the mountains: one in Zernez in the canton of Graubünden, the other in Bourg-St-Pierre in the canton of Valais. Until the end of February, a winter driving training can be completed there under real conditions.
From Dry Snow to Ice
These high-altitude facilities are specially designed for driving on snow and ice. They feature prepared tracks that simulate various winter situations in a controlled and safe environment. Depending on the temperatures and weather developments, the training surfaces can transition from firm snow to ice, thus providing conditions as they may occur on mountain roads. These locations allow drivers to practice safely under the supervision of experienced instructors.
Objective: Prevent Accidents
The winter driving trainings offered at these centres aim primarily to increase road safety and prevent accidents. Participants learn to better understand their vehicle's behaviour under challenging conditions and how to react correctly. The training begins with a review of the physical basics of driving, followed by practical exercises such as emergency braking, slalom with weight shifting, or evasive maneuvers on slippery surfaces. These exercises help improve vehicle control, adjust speed, and correctly estimate safety distances. Particular attention is also paid to comfort and driving enjoyment, so that wintry conditions can be mastered with more confidence.
TCS Winter Driving Trainings
- A day course 'Snow & Ice' costs from 420 francs (for TCS members CHF 380) including meals.
- The course must be completed with one's own vehicle. Winter tires are mandatory. Studs and snow chains are not permitted.
- Winter course locations are Zernez/GR and Bourg-St-Pierre/VS.
- Dates: Winter driving trainings 'Snow & Ice' - TCS Switzerland
Press Contact:
Vanessa Flack, TCS Media Spokesperson
Tel. 058 827 34 41
Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Touring Club Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzero - TCS
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Touring Club Suisse (TCS)
Since its founding in Geneva in 1896, the Touring Club Suisse has served the Swiss population. It is committed to safety, sustainability, and self-determination in personal mobility, both politically and socially. With over 2000 employees and 23 regional sections, Switzerland’s largest mobility club offers its more than 1.6 million members a wide range of services related to mobility, health, and leisure activities.
Every 70 seconds, assistance is provided. 200 patrol officers are on Swiss roads annually with about 361,000 operations and enable immediate onward travel in more than 80% of cases. The ETI centre organises around 63,000 assistance actions annually, including 3,500 medical examinations and over 1,300 repatriations. TCS Ambulance is the largest private provider of emergency and patient transport services in Switzerland with 400 employees, 22 logistics bases, and about 45,000 operations per year. The legal protection offices handle 52,000 cases, providing around 10,000 legal consultations.
Since 1908, TCS has been committed to more safety in mobility – made possible by membership. It develops teaching materials, awareness-raising and prevention campaigns, tests mobility infrastructures, and advises authorities. Annually, TCS distributes around 115,000 reflective belts and 90,000 reflective vests to children to ensure their mobility is also safe. 42,000 participants are counted annually in the training centres for training and further education in all categories of vehicles.
With 32 campsites and around 900,000 overnight stays, TCS is also the largest camping provider in Switzerland. The TCS Mobility Academy researches and shapes transformations in transport, such as the vertical mobility of drones or shared mobility, with projects like the 400 'carvelo' electric cargo bikes with 43,000 users. TCS is a co-signer of the Roadmap E-Mobility 2025.
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Source: Touring Club Suisse (TCS), Press release
Original article published on: Fahren auf Schnee und Eis: Training für mehr Kontrolle