Georgetown Lake has been home to Colorado ice driving for decades at this point, but it’s the first time professional and novice drifters have taken to the frozen lake for fun at all kinds of speeds. To really understand what we’re talking about, you need to see the video.
Drift Colorado Organizer Levi Wait said he took up the cause of creating a place for drifters to meet up based on how friendly the sport is.
“It’s about going out and having fun with your friends, high-fiving each other, even at the peak of competition,” Wait said. “If you lose, you go up and high-five because you had a blast anyway.”
The good sportsmanship and accessibility were clear to even the folks watching on the sidelines, who, if they’re not careful, end up inside the cars too.
“Hey, come get in our car,” Wait said with a smile. “Like, come check this thing out!”
It’s a perfect fit with the Colorado Drift School, hosted by Ian McDougall, taking out some rental cars and fitting them with specialized spiked tires to ride the ice. “When we’re out on the pavement, we’re burning through tires. Some of us faster guys will go through 12 tires in a day,” McDougall said. “Out here, our tires last a lifetime.”
McDougall was quick to add this is something everyone can get into, regardless of who you might expect is behind the wheel. So long as you can drive, he can teach you to drift.
“It’s kind of like stunt driving,” McDougall said. “It’s like aggressive defensive driving where we’re just hooking the car sideways, having a blast.”
The event brought out plenty of interested watchers, along with drone enthusiasts looking to get incredible shots (some of which we featured in our story thanks to @josephlarge). There’s a clear reason why it attracts so many people to come to watch… it’s frankly really cool to see these cars and drivers rip around corners spraying up ice as they go.
Wait said it for sure qualifies as an extreme Colorado sport alongside skiing and riding, there’s just one key difference. “We just like to save our knees, right?” Wait said, laughing. “Like this is less trouble on my back, and if I crash here, it’s expensive, but it’s not going to kill me.”
If you’re interested in checking out these Drift Colorado events, see their schedule here. The Colorado Drift School is taking in students as well, check them out too to get started behind the wheel.
