Dark days and -30deg C temperatures: But winter testing is great

There’s nothing better than a day of winter testing, although there’s nothing worse than a month’s worth…

It’s a consequence of being a nerdy petrolhead that, despite most of us living thousands of miles away from northern Scandinavia, we’re familiar with the strange names of Arvidsjaur, Arjeplog and Rovaniemi.
These settlements are the storied and chillingly remote testing hubs around which nearly every European car maker congregates each winter. They use facilities both public and hidden to tune ABS software, examine real-world fluid viscosity at -30deg C and so on.
With limited sunlight and horrendously low temperatures, it is a brutal testing environment in every respect.
Never mind the machinery: test engineering teams dispatched from everywhere from Crewe to Bologna can find it mentally tough, even on a relatively short, week-long rotation. It’s dark and cold and the work itself can be dangerous and frustrating.

I love visiting these places. I realise this is akin to the Is