Porsche Camp4 Canada

The other day, while watching the Porsche Channel, I came across a video introducing “Porsche Camp4 Canada”. This program is described as “an exciting experience where you drive a Porsche on a specially prepared ice and snow course, learn proper driving and vehicle control techniques from instructors, and enjoy thrills like never before.”

While Porsche Japan’s website only features the “Porsche Track Experience” held in Japan, Porsche Canada’s site provides detailed information about “Porsche Camp4 Canada” and even allows you to register there.

On Porsche Canada’s Website

When I visited the site, it started with something like this. (I’m not fluent in English, so I only got the gist)

At the Porsche Ice Experience, you learn how to master and control your car in any weather. Winter isn’t the time to just sit by the fireplace sipping hot cocoa! On the contrary, winter is the perfect season to gain an entirely new and exciting driving experience on ice and snow! Over several days, professional instructors teach you driving skills on a specially prepared ice and snow course. An experience you’ve never had before awaits you. We at Porsche want all Porsche drivers to learn how to drive confidently in winter conditions!

Something like that, I guess. (Definitely not written in such a high-energy tone…)

Anyway, it sounds like a fun program offering a special experience on a course made of snow and ice. So I decided to watch the YouTube video again carefully.

Let’s Watch the Video

First, there’s classroom learning about “Correct seat position,” “Effects of laws of physics on vehicle,” and “Correct steering position.” That means the right seat position, the physical laws affecting the vehicle, and the proper steering position. The actual course looks like this:

Amazing… This is a huge, specially prepared course made possible by Canada’s vast nature. Near the entrance, a neat lineup of 911s.

The program uses two types: the 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S. If I were to join, I’d probably feel safer with the four-wheel-drive 4S… The video also shows participants arriving by Porsche bus.

This gentleman looks super excited, haha. Just watching him makes me smile. Participants get off the bus and high-five the instructors one by one. It’s like the scene when the iPhone first launched at the Apple Store (lol).

Back to the neat lineup of 911s. It’s truly impressive and beautiful when you see it like this.

Now the program begins. It covers braking on ice, handling, correct steering techniques, proper understeer and oversteer(Oversteer means the car turns inward more than intended as speed increases, while understeer means it drifts outward), lane changes with winter tires, cautious acceleration on winding roads, driving with winter tires having 1.5mm tread depth, and slalom driving.

Wow, this looks like they’re sliding a lot, but maybe it’s a program to experience PSM (Porsche Stability Management). It’s almost like an attraction.

I thought, “This looks super scary (；ﾟДﾟ)!” but the participants actually look like they’re having fun.

From above, they’re kicking up huge snow clouds while driving, which looks incredible,

but they look like they’re having a blast (lol).

It’s probably their first time experiencing this, realizing how amazing the Porsche’s performance is, and they can’t help but smile. Still, it’s impressive how they maintain control without crashing despite such intense driving… Porsche’s performance really is incredible.

Most of the footage seems to be shot by drone, so the visuals are stunning.

Some participants are smiling, but others show expressions like this.

Wow!!(*0*)

No wonder (lol). Afterwards, the video shows participants taking turns practicing, and they keep quite close distances between cars.

Their expressions are very serious. You can feel their determination.

One wrong step could cause a major accident. And here they are doing slalom in this environment.

Amazing… I wouldn’t even be confident doing slalom on normal roads. The instructors are very passionate, and participants listen intently.

There are also female participants—a trio of beautiful women. They really are stunning.

As the program progresses, participants start to relax and show more smiles.

Yeah~!!!!

Of course, they’re filming the video—definitely filming it (lol). Every night, participants enjoy dinner together.

Such a rich experience. I wonder what kind of jobs these participants have.

This is the hotel where they stay.

So, what do the participants say? (I’m translating mostly from the vibe, so take it lightly)

“Definitely the best day of my life!”

“Amazing! So much fun!”

“It’s just fantastic and fun, yes, yes, absolutely fantastic!”

“Truly amazing, I learned so much.” Everyone looks very satisfied. The instructors seem kind and thorough.

At the end, everyone takes a commemorative photo. Behind them is a “PORSCHE” sculpture made of ice.

Finally, the video closes with everyone shouting, “Did you all have fun!?” “Yeah!!!”

For details, visit Porsche Canada’s website below.

How Much Does It Cost?

The 2019 schedule for “Porsche Camp4 Canada” is from late January to early February. I wondered how much such a packed program would cost, so I looked it up…

$5,495 CAD (plus taxes)

I didn’t immediately get the conversion, but at the time (August 25, 2018), 1 CAD was 85.30 yen, so…

That’s about 468,720 yen.

Wow! ((；ﾟДﾟ)) But I guess it would cost around that much…

Compared to Japan’s “Porsche Track Experience,” this looks more like an attraction and seems really fun. I think it would be both enjoyable and educational to participate… but if you can’t understand English over the walkie-talkie, it would really be dangerous… So being able to communicate in English is probably a must to join.

My husband has been working harder on his English lately, so maybe he’ll join in a few years ( I’ll stay home in Japan and just want to know what it’s like, haha ). So here’s the video. It’s only 3 minutes long but packed with Porsche’s charm, so please check it out. (And if anyone has participated, please share your impressions, haha)

*Image source: YouTube “Porsche Camp4 Canada 2018”