Ok, so this is one from a couple of years ago, told to me by my late husband. His work, at one point, about 12 years ago, took him to Kyrghyzstan, which is in the Tien Shen mountains, a northern spur off the Himalayas. While he was there he learned to ski, and even after he left, tried to get back once a year, usually in January, to get some skiing in. He even went as far as keeping an old VW Golf garaged out there, looked after by a local, for about $100pa. He had bought this once after a horrendous air journey from Siberia, and drove it back over the steppes, ran it for a year in Siberia, and then took it back to Bishkek for use when he was out there.
Anyway
On one of his last ski trips out there, he took the car part way up a mountain, only to be faced by a very icy slope to get to where he wanted to be. Luckily a couple of locals on horseback volunteered, for a small consideration, to tow him up. On his way back he noticed the same locals pouring water on the slope late in the day so the surface would be just as good tomorrow! This also meant that he couldn't use his brakes on the way down, and narrowly missed rear-ending another car. The next day he rolled up as before, and the lads approached. This time, Ian just let out the clutch and tore up the hill on his studded tyres, which he hadn't thought necessary to fit the day before, waving cheerfully!
Incidentally, while he worked out there he had diplomatic immunity, which he said was great for getting out of speeding fines. He had a little paddle sign, which he used to wave at the cops in the speed traps as he drove through.