There are ROADS in Yupperland? In Winter? Who Knew?
Actually, you end up driving on pard-packed snow covered by a layer of what is referred to as 'stamp sand.'
Back in the heyday of the copper mining industry in the Keweenaw Penninsula (the rabbit's ear, for those in the know), they ran the ore through a stamping plant to separate the copper. What was left was this coarse black sand.
Lots and lots of coarse black sand, probably millions of cubic yards of it all over the place.