I remember the first year they introduced this. The learning curve was steep and was very frustrating. Using the snow helps a lot as they slow you down and allow you to change direction.
Maybe just trying to promote it more. On console I made a new Romluan toon and was 20 by the time I made it to new Romulus. Completly skipped my Lieutenant ship.
It would be great if there was a way to dismantle items to recover mats, components and possibly a small amount of dilithium. It would provide another way of getting material for crafting and give you something to do with ship/ground parts other than just selling them.