Dude, that is so cool. I firmly believe that that you need to get the car sideways to become an effective winter driver. When you're sideways in real life, you're going to forget everything you've been told and everything you've read... but you'll remember the motions... and THAT is what's going to keep you alive.
I've been in Colorado my whole life and I've never had a serious accident -- no injuries, no rollovers, no insurance claims. I think a lot of that has to do with the experience gained from skidding around parking lots and fishtailing down roads.
If you see that cop again, you've got to buy him a donut or something. That's really cool that he was actually looking out for you guys instead of just being a dick. That said, it sounds like you guys did the right thing, too. The cones helped.![]()