I always thought they were nuts. They had a long highway commute to the far side of town after that ride down out of their "neighborhood". Anchorage is more varied than most......much of it is at sealevel, but there are a fair number of folks that live at about 2000 feet.....and the effects of elevation are more pronounced here.....we have glaciers at less than 2000 feet. For all of that, when I was single and living close to work, and it was work where it was not critical if I was there at a certain time, I had a FWD Honda Civic, and I ran summer tires all the time. I actually enjoyed the slides, and the Honda felt light enough that I could always put my foot out and stop it in the winter (ah....just kidding, but close). When I wound up having to get on the highway (not an Interstate quality, but a two lane with curves) I went to studs, and I wouldn't dream of taking the truck onto anything hilly without studs in the winter. There really are a lot of factors in making the decision.

I think you're right to advise BillyK to try it with the stock tires. The Ford does very well......we just get that handful of days where it is bizarely slick. I've watched people slide at 2 mph and have no control, and no ability to stop if they were on a slope (and not much of a slope). One spring a friends truck parked in our driveway while we were all in Mexico, when the breeze changed, so to speak, slid down the drive and out into the cul de sac....completely out of the drive, all on its own. Sitting on ice, and the air warmed up. Where he is in Pa may or may not get that kind of stuff, but it does sound like the ground gets good and cold, and then they get warm air, and those are the days that I think create slick days.

With studs on, you really can drive an AWD Escape almost without concern for the conditions. It would be my go to car in bad conditions unless I thought the snow would be high enough to come over the hood, and then it would have to be the truck. The car really does quite well.