What to Expect with Snow Removal

Your vacation rental home has a person or company contracted to do snow removal during the winter months.  Below is more information on what you can expect during/after a snow storm:

• Snow removal contractors only come out when we receive 6 inches of snow or more
  • If a storm is lengthy and/or heavy, the snow removal contractors may wait for the storm to finish before coming out.
• Most snow removal contractors clear driveways and pathways to the front door, but some are only contracted to remove snow from the driveway.
• Each snow removal contractor has a particular route they follow through town, typically moving from one end of town to the other. So rest-assured, someone is coming!  It just may take quite a few hours to get to your house, especially if the storm was quite heavy.
• Snow plows clear the main roads first, then secondary roads. It is not uncommon to have to wait a day or two for the plows to clear the roads in the more rural areas, especially if the snow storm was particularly heavy.
• This home is equipped with a snow shovel in the event you may need to do some snow removal yourself (examples: if a storm produces less than 6 inches of snow, if the snow removal contractor is only contracted to remove snow from the driveway, you may need to clear pathways yourself, etc)

Tips

• It is recommended to remove snow off your vehicle as soon as a storm finishes. If you leave it on your vehicle, it can become quite solid over a period of a couple of days, making it even more difficult to clear.
• If your windshield gets iced over, start your vehicle, turn the defrost on high, and let the vehicle run for about 5-10 minutes. This will slowly melt the ice on the windshield, saving you the effort of scraping it off (and your vehicle will be nice and toasty inside!).
• If the snowfall is under 6 inches (which means a snow removal contractor will not be coming), it is recommended to clear the snow from driveways and pathways as soon as possible, as driving/walking over the snow compresses it, creating a very dangerous icy and slick surface.
• On the same note, if a snow plow comes by after your driveway has been cleared and creates what we call a “berm” (a clumpy snow wall, which can get up to 3+ feet high) at the foot of the driveway, it is highly recommended to shovel the berm as soon as possible as it will solidify very quickly, making shoveling later extremely difficult. The snow removal contractors will not come back to clear berms.
• If you need to wait for a snow removal contractor or street snow plow to come by, hang tight, relax, and enjoy the snow!

Welcome to the mountains!  We hope you enjoy your stay!
Please feel free to give us a call with any questions.