This year, Alaska has been experiencing both dangerous and bizarre weather. And as the ice days were fun, and the snow is a blast, the road conditions have been anything but pleasant. The Dimond staff has been discouraging students to go out to lunch and have been reminding the teens that snow tires would be a smart purchase to make this winter season Ethan Gould, a sophomore, is a newly licensed driver, and he is just now learning what it is really like to drive in Alaska in the winter. “It is difficult to turn the corners,” Ethan said, “But it’s fun to drive in the winter because you can drift.” Brandon Parsons, junior, is also a fan of drifting. “I have gotten one ticket so far for drifting, but since winter has started I have gotten two more tickets as well.” Brandon also said that his biggest pet peeve in the winter is slow drivers. Brandon also said us that he is one of the many drivers here at Dimond High who does not have snow tires. Many students here at Dimond are not properly prepared for winter driving, said Mark Wells, one of Dimond’s school resource officer, he said that many of the students he has pulled over have not had snow tires, or all season tires at the least. One of the many safety precautions students are not taking into consideration is not speeding. “Every day I see students racing through the parking lot. The most common thing I stop them for is driving too fast for conditions,” Wells said. Later he said that he has pulled over maybe half a dozen seniors so far. And the accidents he has seen he believes have been caused due to lack of driving experience, as well as not having snow or seasonal tires. Some Dimond students were not prepared for what the beginning of winter has dished out. Hopefully the driving will improve and Mr. Wells will not have to report any more students.