Ride and slide on ice with Aston Martin

This is my first time with a range of Aston Martin cars in a unique ice environment at The Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground (SHPG) in Queenstown, New Zealand.

For three years now, owners have been flying in to dash through the snow with Aston Martin around icy tracks and this year is no different. I am to explore the full potential of three cars under the guidance of professional driving instructors at SHPG's challenging and dynamic handling course.

On site, we have the DB11 Volante (drop-top), the DB11 V8 Coupe and the Vantage - all of which are equipped with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

Located right at the mountain top of Queenstown, roughly 1,550m above sea level, is where you'll find the Aston Martin fleet. Here I am, hands gripped nervously around the gorgeous leather-wrapped steering wheel bearing the wing stamp logo.

As I start off in the DB11 Volante, the instructor reminds me repeatedly to look towards the direction I want to head towards.

I floor the accelerator, turn the steering wheel and look far. My snow tyres are now spurting an arc of snow behind me, accompanied by the thunderous roar erupting from the exhaust, as the drop-top Aston drifts wildly like a stark raving mad man on the loose.

Drifting happens when the car's power exceeds tyre traction. This causes the rear wheels to slide out at a greater angle than the front wheel. That you have whopping 503bhp and a puke-inducing 675Nm of twisting force in the DB11 Volante at the mercy of your right foot no longer matters on the ice. The performance numbers become pointless because out here, every car spins and slides.

After a few spin-outs, I gather my jumbled-up mind and jelly-like hands to go for another run. By this time, my adrenaline is up high and my apprehension of losing control of the car is down low.

Such a feeling does miracles to your body. My vision is now suddenly sharper, my focus becomes crystal clear and my reflexes are now lightning quick. It is almost like a therapy, a wake up call from the mundane routines of daily life.

This feeling certainly helps when I jump into my next car, the DB11 Coupe. As a result, I find myself drifting around cones in a manner that's fluid and flexible, with hand movements reacting precisely in the correct direction while keeping a consistent pressure on the accelerator.

Admittedly, I do think there are other reasons as to why I am able to handle the coupe better than the drop-top DB11. For starters, being in a coupe means I'm not exposed to the freezing -5 degrees celcius temperature, which makes me feel a lot more relaxed.

Secondly, like most things in life, practice makes perfect. By the time I hopped into the coupe, I had already done a few runs of drifting, of which I failed horribly.

So on to the last car then. The Vantage.

"Harder! Harder!"

That is the professional driving instructor telling me to push the 503bhp Aston Martin Vantage around the vast snow area that is our playground for the day.

By this time, I'm already familiar with the course of action when executing a drift on icy grounds, which makes me look like nothing less than a professional snow driver.

But a lot of it has to do with the car itself. Thanks to its lighter weight (compared to the other two DB11s) and well-sorted chassis, the Vantage is an absolute hoot to throw around with reckless abandon on ice.

Couple these with a precise steering that's quick to react to turns, and you got yourself a car that's not just entertaining but also effortless.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. After four hours of snow driving, it's hard to continue practicing what I've learnt, especially when home is a country where snow never happens.

That said, there is something I have come to appreciate. The capabilities the Astons Martins have on snow far exceeds what most owners actually need. But in having that excess, it makes a regular driver like myself look like a professional one behind the wheel of an Aston Martin.