An earlier solution would be to build a covered walkway.
Could you string a high wire across the roads and then hang other ropes on pulleys from it, then clip the rope to the person walking along? You’d need multiple stretches of wire: at least one from the building to a tower between the two roads, then another stretch from that tower across the second road to the second building. You’d need multiple ropes hanging from each stretch as well. Kind of like a poor-man’s zip line, unless the wind’s blowing really strong, then it’s like a really painful tetherball.
That 100 watt light bulb produces only about 2.6 watts of visible light energy (2.6% efficiency for 100 W/120V per Wikipedia); the laser is rated for its power output, so it is actually only about 500 times brighter (plus a mix of multiple wavelengths, so the perceived intensity is lower). Incidentally, that laser is also around 50% efficient, so it needs only 10 mW to operate (see Keeve’s concerns about power consumption being prohibitive, the other suggestions of putting up exterior lights would cost thousands of times more in energy costs not to mention installation). Although I don’t think the laser idea would work well for reasons already mentioned.
Good point.
How about something that makes sound perhaps?
It doesn’t take much energy to make sound.
Not a blizzard, but some photos of laser beams in snow storms here.
I think they are very visible.
The snow would too likely block the GPS signal 
nm.
I’m not so sure. I’ve certainly used GPS devices successfully in light snow. And see this:
They got a good lock up to a depth of 1 meter of snow. As long as the cross-section of your line of sight to the satellite is under 1 m of snow equivalent (which seems very likely), it should have roughly the same performance. Also note the age of the study; receivers have surely gotten much better in the past 16 years.
But I don’t have any direct experience under heavy snow conditions, so maybe there are other factors.
Pretty pics. But that’s because you can see hundreds of feet to see the scattered beam.
It’s an interesting problem actually. NO scattering and you won’t see the beam unless it hits your eye, which is worthless. TOO much scattering and the beam won’t get very far or if you are very far from the beam you won’t be able to see it because you can’t see ANYTHING more than a few feet away.
And there is a sweet spot in there somewhere for maximum visibility, though I suspect it is a bit short of whiteout blizzard conditions.
Though it still might work. Either have to do some PITA calculations/simulations or just fracking try it.
One pointer (heh). As the very least I’d rig up some lens system that spreads that beam out a little bit. Though try it without the lens system first. IMO that would really help.
Though personally I’d just let Wilford Brimely die out there alone in that shack (Damn I’m good. I’ve managed to make two relevant Wilford Brimely jokes today).
Why don’t you run a rope light to the edge of the road. LED Christmas decoration style. A light on each side of the road (whatever is most convenient) will help you cross. If it is too treacherous for that to work then I don’t think you want to be out.
I would suggest a 500W floodlight. If you can’t see it from 200 feet, you better stay indoors.
Well, it’s not nearly as science-fictiony a problem as what I thought the question was going to be.
These are the correct answer.
If it’s that bad, you do not go out.
Growing up on a farm in Minnesota, there were winter storms this bad sometimes. We had to get from the house to the barns even during storms (to feed & water animals). But we had blankets & food in the barns – if it got bad enough, you might have to spend the night in the barn.
There was a phone extension in each barn. On real bad nights, you would phone a relative and ask them to call back to the house and let them know you were starting back from the barn. So that they could watch for you, and watch the time – if you didn’t show up soon, they would start toward the barn looking for you. Two people, tied together with rope (we had a long rope kept stored in the back entry closet).
Blizzards can be deadly dangerous situations, but you can keep yourself safe if you know what to do. (Unlike hurricanes, or floods, etc. Living in the Midwest has it’s advantagew.)
a dog sled and a good lead dog could handle this.
on King, on you huskies.
Same; I thought it was going to be “can you destroy/cut a storm with a laser”.
ditto
So what would it take to get a megalaser like the one in The Core to use for carving perfect tunnels through snowbanks?
$50 billion?
Use the card. Get air miles.
Not necessarily. You don’t have to be able to see the beam itself. When you step out of the staff building and see a glowing dot on your hand, you just have to keep your hand in the beam until you arrive at the residence building.
But even if a laser can cut through a blizzard, it would be blocked by any snow or frost that accumulates on the window. You’d need a way to keep the window clear.
If you put a timer on the laser, you wouldn’t have to leave it on all the time. Turn it on when you leave the staff building, and set it to shut off after a reasonable interval.
I think Dr Strangelove is on the right track with the GPS idea …
This place he is at is in Newfoundland and they have airplane service …
surely they have GPS signals.
I’ve used laser pointers, the kind that are now sold for cats, in snow storms that might be described as “delightful” and I can see the beam go for much more then that distance. But that’s at night.
It would be interesting to try it with a more powerful laser in a really bad storm.
A low tech solution is to use a row of long poles between buildings. Maybe lights on some of them. Ok, that description may sound like telephone poles, but these would be closer together and not as tall.