Earlier this year, in the middle of July, all I could think of was snow wheeling. So I called a few of my winter 'sheeling buddies and told them what was going on in my head. They commiserated with me and admitted to suffering from the same cravings. In short, we were addicted to snow wheeling.

Now it's December and the southwestern British Columbia snow wheeling season is poised to begin. In the Vancouver area there are two snow seasons. Snow season "A" lasts approximately three days. In this three day window, temperatures are cold and the snow that falls is dry and fluffy. Season B lasts about five months and consists of wet and heavy snow that can be as solid as concrete. Season B is fun and all, but nothing beats the magical three days of Season A.

Around mid-December, cold temperatures (for Vancouver) and decent precipitation often deliver the much loved Season A. Snow wheeling powder-hounds start obsessing by paying very close attention to TV weather reports and Environment Canada's website. Constant monitoring of local weather and ski reports and a bit of luck might deliver that dream night run. Luckily for me I've lucked into the perfect night powder runs for two years running and the pictures for this article are from one of those snow wheeling runs. Early season powder is great because the snow is fresh and hasn't had a chance to build up and pack down into deep layers.

Once snow has fallen on the mountains for a week or more, the trails develop very deep layers of snow which have a very pronounced center crown. The effect of this crown is that your 4x4 is constantly sliding to the side of the trail. Making things even worse are the tree wells on either side of the road. These wells, or snow holes, that form around trees (because their branches cause less snow to collect around their trunks) draw your truck into them just like a bowling ball rolling into the middle of a sink hole. I know it sounds strange to say this, but snow wheeling can cause just as much, if not more, body damage than rock crawling. Why? Because the odds sliding into a tree, roof-first, are very high thanks to the crown effect and tree wells.

But during the first week or two of snow wheeling, sliding into trees or off the trail isn't a problem. With the tires running at crazy low pressures, it's easy to stay on top of the snow and blast through the powder drifts. One of the biggest challenges is keeping the windshield free of snow because every time you bump into a tree or its branches, you get covered by a cascade of snow. But that's also one of the biggest reasons I love this kind of wheeling. The mountains are absolutely gorgeous when blanketed with fresh snow. So turn on those radios and TVs and start watching for the start of Season A. I'll see you there!

Lesson 1: Snow makes things slippery (yes, I know that's painfully obvious), which is how I slid my tire off this rock.

Lesson 2: Rock lights are useful, even without the rocks.

Late in the year, with wet, hard-packed snow, dragging a diff can be problematic. But in this light powdery stuff, it's no problem.

It's a good idea to start the season with fresh wiper blades.

When the snow gets wetter and heavier, you really want to make sure that all your under carriage hoses and wires are securely fastened.