The holiday weekend saw most of the Northeast draped in a blanket of snow, perfect for unwrapping presents and singing carols--but not so awesome for getting to work on Monday. Not that we're complaining. Snow days are also the perfect opportunity for some opposite lock.

These five videos show you really can drift just about anything, and the rally videos even show how it's done properly. Lessons learned: when in doubt, stand on the gas, throw the wheel the other direction, and curse--preferably in Finnish.

 

Here we have a semi tractor rig showing that big girls can be just as much fun as the svelte little sporty ones--only this guy can show his friends the video with pride.


Next up: the obligatory rental car. Considerably less exciting than 10 tons of sideways steel, the rented Nissan Altima gets beaten like the mule it is. Bonus: an unwilling female passenger, Texans, and some rather matter-of-fact commentary.

It's about time we saw how it's done properly, so here we go: Travis Pastrana at the Sno*Drift Rally earlier this year. The tree-lined margin of error demonstrates that cars--when properly setup and driven--can in fact be controlled even at high speeds in the snow.


The pros don't always get it right, however, as this video illustrates. Many do, but it's all too easy to end up buried in a snow drift when you're letting it all hang out in the powder.


Finally, what collection of tail-out hoonage would be complete without some American Iron in the mix? Here, a team of Swedes takes a very experienced Camaro out to the ice races. It starts at what looks like a (rather dangerous) pit stop. Then things go sideways. Stick around for the side-car bonus footage at the end.

[YouTube]