Maybe a little too dramatic, but hey its TV and I'll stand up for Sinuhe's death comments, because the crew would always ask "what could happen here? could you die?" and then we had to kind of answer with a rephrase of the question...oh well.
Ok, that's the answer to the question I was trying to ask.
I have not seen the episode (I don't get cable TV) so might not understand the "conditions" as the earlier poster stated, but seriously you've never had the situation/opportunity to employ chains? Used correctly (and responsibly) the traction they provide on all four tires is nothing less than night-and-day comparison even with the best tread & compounds.
I've lived in Canada all my life, and I've never used chains either. Don't know where you'd even buy them if you wanted to. They practically don't exist up here. I always get a kick out of hearing how they're required in California to drive the mountains. Though, I could see the potential usefullness if you're snow-wheeling.
For the most part, people just know how to drive in the snow, have proper tires and we have good snow removal crews who keep the roads clear. If we have a crazy snow storm (such as Gravenhurst that got 36" in 2 days), people just stay home until the roads get plowed. Emergency services get around on snowmobiles if required. And people go "off-roading" on snowmobiles, which are vastly more suited than any chained wheels.
In fact, that's a big part of the reason why we don't go "snow wheeling" up here even if we wanted to. The snowmobiles legally own the trails from November to May, and we're not allowed on them.
Besides that winter camping is over rated and it's not very highly rated to begin with...
You'd have been more comfortable if you built quinzhees in the snow.
Winter camping in tents does suck.
