The Lamborghini ‘Esperienza Neve’ Proved Ice is No Match for Speed

Before dinner on the first day of the event, everyone is shuttled from the hotel to the heated tent near the driving course. Starting with a demo lap, my driver, Corey Lewis, shows the three passengers in the Urus SE how to navigate one of four warm-up exercises.

Snowflakes swirl across the windshield, and we glide across the ice at dusk in Lewis’s capable hands. The super SUV is shockingly smooth, transferring its weight from side to side as the driver threads the slalom and drifts gently. Tomorrow, the drifting will be much more aggressive; this is just a taste.

Speaking of taste, as we return from the demo laps, the staff offers each guest a shot glass made from ice. Inside swirls a mouthful of Sortilege Canadian maple-infused whiskey.  I don’t like whiskey, but it seems like something worth trying, and I won’t be driving until the next day, anyway.

To my surprise, the sweetness of the maple syrup emerges with the first sip on my tongue, enhanced by the icy cold of the shot glass on my lips.

The next morning, lead Lamborghini driver Dean DiGiorno explains each of the morning drills and walks us through a map of the longer afternoon course. Ultimately, the goal is to put together all of the skills we learn earlier in the day and receive a completion certificate.

One driver in each of the three groups is applauded with extra recognition for zooming around the timed course the fastest. In my group, it’s a gentleman from New York who slides sideways across the finish line who earns the glory.

Throughout the day, each driver has multiple opportunities to pilot an Urus SE (Lamborghini’s wildly-popular SUV), the 1001-hp Revuelto, and the racing-ready Huracan Sterrato on the snowy track. Each requires a deft touch, and the instructors are well-versed in how to explain the necessary techniques.

No one is expected to master the course, but to gain confidence in their driving skills on and off the ice, and the smiles plastered across every face is proof that the learning process is exhilarating. By lunchtime, we’ve all earned our maple syrup popsicles crafted by staff on a snow table. 

In the crowd, only a few women take the wheel, but they are all in. I met one entrepreneur from California and his wife, and while he is chomping at the bit to drive, she is deferring for now. By the end of the day, she promises me she’ll try it next year, and I hope she does.

Lamborghini is tuned into its female owners and hosts a special event called She Drives a Lambo in the fall. The brand knows that the easiest way to grow its sales base may be with female fans, and it’s actively working to ensure women are comfortable behind the wheel.

While men make up the majority of the sales base for all supercar models, the number of women who want one is starting to grow.

In the evening, the group is welcome to join the resort staff in winter activities like dog sledding or snowmobiling, or they might get a massage at the spa or rest in their rooms.  Chef Massimo, the lead caterer, leads a pasta-making exhibition; he deftly feeds dough through the press and forms twisted curls from the flour mixture in his hands dizzyingly fast.

The linguine is served with a rich mushroom sauce, short ropy strands are coated with veal and parmigiano Bolognese, and fresh pesto made with part basil and part parsley is spooned over vegan al dente semolina pasta. A crowd gathers as samples are handed out until at least a dozen people are gathered around to try it.

On my way home, I stop at the duty-free shop at the Montreal airport and pick up a bottle of maple whiskey. Back in Austin, I’ll take a sip and remember what it was like to wing a $800,000 supercar across the ice. One thing is for sure: even for those with the means to purchase such an incredible machine, Esperienza Neve is a singular adventure.