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My husband might have a job opportunity in mtn home. It pays well and would be a higher position than he is currently at. The only downfall is that it's in mtn home.
We are worried about the commute in winter... We moved to Boise in April from las Vegas. We don't have experience with winter weather.
It's there anyone who makes this commute on a daily basis and can tell us what is really like?
Thank you!
I have had friends who have done that commute I currently have a similar commute in california but instead of snow I just deal with fog and crazy drivers. I grew up driving in snow etc. in idaho but realize for those not used to it that it can be challenging. The trick is to take it easy and drive defensively don't speed I don't care if you have awd or snow tires etc. that said some snow tires with or without studs and awd are all nice things that will make it easier. Good luck and hopefully someone with more familiarity can drop by and give more info
The good news is that it's a relatively straight and fast 35-45 minute drive to Mountain Home, depending on where you are coming from / going to in Boise. Once you get past Highway 21 off ramp it isn't very busy and you can probably drive the speed limit most of the way.
The bad news is that interstate gets the worst of our weather, so commuting on it from November through March is a dicey proposition. Mostly on the hill climbing out of the Boise valley, near the rest areas, until you get to the Stage Stop, but it gets a lot of snow, ice, and freezing rain and is slicker than snot. I would just be very, very careful if that's the decision you make. To me that would be a brutal daily winter commute.
The good news is that it's a relatively straight and fast 35-45 minute drive to Mountain Home, depending on where you are coming from / going to in Boise. Once you get past Highway 21 off ramp it isn't very busy and you can probably drive the speed limit most of the way.
The bad news is that interstate gets the worst of our weather, so commuting on it from November through March is a dicey proposition. Mostly on the hill climbing out of the Boise valley, near the rest areas, until you get to the Stage Stop, but it gets a lot of snow, ice, and freezing rain and is slicker than snot. I would just be very, very careful if that's the decision you make. To me that would be a brutal daily winter commute.
He would be going from east Boise to mtn home.
Sounds like the winter drive is as bad as we thought. Bummer because it's a great job.
He has never driven in snow or ice so it's probably not the best idea.
While it's a relatively long and boring drive, 9 months of the year it would be possible. It's just that section of interstate can get extremely slick and deadly in December, January, and February... and there's really no way to predict when those storms can happen, or if it's snow, ice, black ice, or just rain/water.
I've driven that interstate too much and I pretty much refuse to drive it during the winter. We did get stuck in a pretty bad storm last year before Christmas that took me about 3 hours to get from Boise to Twin Falls. We were going about 35 mph most of the way, 4x4 locked in. Luckily it was mostly snow, and not ice.
He would be going from east Boise to mtn home.
Sounds like the winter drive is as bad as we thought. Bummer because it's a great job.
He has never driven in snow or ice so it's probably not the best idea.
Driving on ice is a fact of life here. If you let the thought of it terrorize you, you will tense up and never learn how to handle ice. Every time it rains or snows, all the streets will become icy very quickly. The best attitude to have is caution and respect, but not fear.
You and he will learn, period. You can't avoid it. All that's really needed is a good set of specialized winter tires, not 4-season tires. The 4-seasons will get you through an early storm and/or slushy snow, but they're no good on ice. A set of winter tires are much, much better.
Some winter tires have studs, and others have specialized tread patterns and are made from softer rubber compounds. After decades of driving on studded tires, I now prefer the new hi-tech studless tires by far. Studs wear out pretty quickly on dry pavement, but the studless don't and their traction is just as good or better.
Buy the best you can find, (they won't be cheap), and plan on taking them off every spring before the highways get hot, usually in late March. If you take care of a set, they will last for years. Some folks buy a set of rims for their winter tires, but I have mine put on and taken off. They go on after the first storm, or just before, if it's obvious a big storm is coming. Using one good tire store all the time is the best way to do it.
A good way to gain confidence is to find an empty parking lot after things get slick and go practice on it. A skid on ice is just like a skid on a rain slick- once you spin out in a safe place a few times, you will get the hang of it. There are only 3 essential rules:
Slow Down.
Give the driver ahead of you extra room.
Keep an eye on the driver behind you, especially as you approach a stop or a turn.
The 3rd is the one that I use most often. You never know what the other guy is doing, especially when it comes to speed. I'm always looking for a spot to move to get out of the way every time I come to an intersection for the first month of winter. The first storm is always the worst, then everyone begins to adjust their speed afterward.
A good way to gain confidence is to find an empty parking lot after things get slick and go practice on it. A skid on ice is just like a skid on a rain slick- once you spin out in a safe place a few times, you will get the hang of it. There are only 3 essential rules:
Slow Down.
Give the driver ahead of you extra room.
Keep an eye on the driver behind you, especially as you approach a stop or a turn.
The 3rd is the one that I use most often. You never know what the other guy is doing, especially when it comes to speed. I'm always looking for a spot to move to get out of the way every time I come to an intersection for the first month of winter. The first storm is always the worst, then everyone begins to adjust their speed afterward.
I would add a 4th rule, that you hinted at in your last paragraph:
Always have an exit plan.
I've had a few times I was going to turn a corner, slowed way down, started to turn, and the road just laughed at me. Ok then, I'll just go straight after all, turn at the next corner and double back. Trying to force the turn can often lead to an accident. Same thing with stopping at a light. Sometimes the road is slicker than you think and it is safer to run the red a little rather than slide into the middle of the intersection trying to stop.
I think Mike's points about watching the drivers behind and in front of you is well taken, but that's what makes driving on the interstate in the winter much scarier than driving on the surface roads in the city. Even if you're being responsible and driving appropriate for conditions, there seems to always be those idiots that want to go double (or more) what you are driving. And the heavy trucks generally aren't as affected by the snow and ice, so they blaze by you going 60 mph or more.
Thanks everyone!! We will look into getting different tires. I'll be on maternity leave until Jan but I do the most driving... I commute between east Boise and nampa and all in between. Driving with a client (child) in my car is basically my job. I drive around 300-400 miles a week just for work. I'll definitely take some time to practice.
From my experience, there will usually only be about 5-6 days during the winter with horrendous conditions. This stretch, while does indeed get snow and ice, is still within the Boise moderate zone with average high temps during winter of about 37 or 38 in December and January, and into the 40's by February. Of course in the morning, those temps will be lower.
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