When it starts snowing in our area of Colorado you need to be ready with some type of plan. If you want to be able to use your driveway or porch you need to figure out when and where you are going to start moving snow. This isn’t like mowing the lawn where if you forget to mow you can still drive your car. If you let snow stay in place it eventually turns to ice and then you are in big trouble.
Snow management requires planning and then action. If its snowing hard you should plan on getting out at least 2 times a day to cover the same ground. For example we got about 8 inches of snow in 24 hours a few weeks ago. While my snow blower can handle up to 12 inches of snow it is best to clear things out before that much accumulates.
This makes it easier on the machinery and also means you are keeping your driveway clear more often. If you want to use your driveway it is best to have it clear or at least mostly clear of snow. Once there is more than 1 or 2 inches of snow on the road or deck you should start clearing it off. At that depth is can start to give you traction problems and its going to start packing down.
Packed snow is slightly better than unpacked snow in terms of traction, but it is more difficult to remove and melts slower than if you had removed it. If the snow is falling and you are at 1 to 2 inches get out there and clean things up.
Then plan on getting back out there in 6 to 10 hours to clean up the stuff that kept coming down. Yes its a lot of work but once the storm is gone and your driveway and deck are already clear you will be happier. Once the snow gets time to melt and re-freeze it creates a crust and is much more difficult to remove.
