# 'Snow joke out there. Dopers in areas that get a lot of snow, how do you deal with it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2022, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139 "2022-11-18T12:18:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/81 "2022-11-21T12:05:33Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I have that problem, except some mornings I’m leaving at 4:30 am. Ugh! 5:30 is bad enough, thank you very much! LOL > [@Broomstick](#): > > Fortunately, it’s not a great distance. I just take “nibbles” of the snow and work slowly but steadily, breaks if needed. Good! Every winter, people literally shovel themselves to death. Very sad. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/82 "2022-11-22T02:28:36Z")
Born and raised in Chicago. When I retired in 2006 I dealt with the snow by moving to North Carolina. Yes,we do get the occasional snow, but it seldom lasts more than a day or two. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/83 "2022-11-23T08:25:20Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Don’t sigh, be very thankful that it didn’t snap on that particularly desolate bit of road! It wouldn’t have, the engine compartment was nicely warm during the drive, it froze while parked for a couple days. I was just peeved because it was an unexpected expense and extra couple days stuck in Ohio. On the plus side, on the way home I stopped at my companies Akron plant for a surprise inspection =) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/84 "2022-11-23T15:25:43Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > It wouldn’t have, the engine compartment was nicely warm during the drive, it froze while parked for a couple days. I don’t see how timing belts could possibly snap just due to the cold. Lots of people all over the Northern Hemisphere routinely park their cars outside for a couple of days or longer; they’d have to redesign something if belts were breaking that often. I think yours must have been about to go anyway, though it’s possible that the temperature change was the last straw for a dying belt and did affect exactly when it went. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/85 "2022-11-24T00:47:26Z")
Probably, but it was a 1975 vehicle, original engine so not sure what hte lifespan was - however subzero temps and trying to start a car with the belt of some sort of buna or equivalent [rubberoid? They showed it to me and it looked like a regular vehicle rubber-black belt] ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/86 "2022-11-24T04:35:56Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > A four-inch snowfall will shut down schools for a week, This sounds about like Eugene Oregon. We get snow occasionally, often enough that the city actually does own snowplows. But it’s not a given that there will be snow every year; one reason is that our coldest nights tend to be crystal clear. That’s me shivering in a hat, scarf, sweater, topcoat, ans gloves as I try to get a photo of Canis Major with a 50mm lens, which is equivalent to a 75mm with a crop sensor… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/87 "2022-11-24T12:22:34Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > original engine so not sure what hte lifespan was Apparently not 47 years, assuming its also the original belt. I’d say that’s impressive. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/88 "2022-11-24T13:59:15Z")
74-83 =) Not quite that long. Probably had like 80K miles on it, or thereabouts. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/89 "2022-11-24T16:05:49Z")
Isn’t that around when they recommend changing them anyway, on the grounds that they’re liable to break someplace/time inconvenient if you don’t? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2022, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/90 "2022-11-26T04:15:11Z")
We get freezing rain here several times during the winter. I keep an old pair of golf shoes w/ metal spikes which gives some friction on the driveway and road. Helps when taking the dog for a walk. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/91 "2022-11-26T04:27:42Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > We have a gravel driveway that is 0.2 miles long. It also has a 90° turn and a hill. It’s difficult to get up it in the summer due to the deep ruts. When it snows? Forget it. We’ve tried getting someone to plow it, but it destroys the driveway even more. We’ve found it much cheaper to simply drive old, four-wheel drive vehicles. Delivery vehicles have to leave packages way down by the mailbox, behind a tree. I have a gravel driveway, mostly straight but up hill, 1/10th of a mile long. I have an arrangement with the post office that they don’t need to drive up the driveway but instead leave packages in a sturdy 70 gallon deck box affixed to the required (by the town/fire department) wooden number post at the foot of the driveway. I also hate snow, hate cold, and spend the winter wishing it was over. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/92 "2022-11-28T12:36:56Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I keep an old pair of golf shoes w/ metal spikes which gives some friction on the driveway and road. > > Helps when taking the dog for a walk. Yeah, I use Yaktrax. Helps quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/93 "2022-11-28T17:19:24Z")
Another vote for Yaktrax. And you can pull them off when going into a store, and stick them in your pocket ready to put back on when heading back out. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/94 "2022-11-28T22:23:14Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Yeah, I use Yaktrax. Helps quite a bit. They are wonderful. Salt killed my pair however. Begging for another pair for xmas. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/95 "2022-11-28T23:11:46Z")
I’m sort of jealous of my dogs. Constant 4x4 with ‘studded’ paws. And, they have a much less distance to fall. They still spin out plenty though. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/96 "2022-11-29T00:07:04Z")
I’ve gone outside barefoot in snow and it’s surprising how difficult it is. I think the heat of the feet melts just enough snow to make it extra slippery (slippy in western PA). ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/97 "2022-11-29T00:24:31Z")
im in the California desert and we get snow once every 10 years or so … usually lasts long enough to tape a pic and have a snowball fight but I lived in Indiana also off and on in the 80s and they had some epic blizzards so I should of known to buy a pair of boots or something a little more sturdy than my off the wall Walmart shoes (really they just hang these things by a plastic binding tie on a hook somewhere) Well, grandma passed in February well that year they hadn’t had snow until two days before I went back and I stomped around for a month in wanna-be slip-on loafers …needless to say, the case of athlete’s foot I ended up with was epic … .how ever my uncle came from the same parts and knew what to buy for it and it was fixed in a week ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/98 "2022-11-29T04:01:10Z")
The mot epic icestorm I ever dealt with was in Indianapolis. Actually the storm was pretty well the entire Ohio River valley, but I encountered the Indiana part of it. Paralyzed several states and much of the airline industry for several days. We had the most epic multi-day crew party I’ve ever been involved in. I have no idea how many children were fathered by whom that week, but I’m sure I did my part. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/99 "2022-12-04T23:10:30Z")
Moved from Boston area to the Mediterranean climate of southeast North Carolina over 30 years ago and have seen only relative traces of snow (up to 6) inches a few times since then. A localized storm brought 26 inches to the major city, Wilmington, on Dec. 24, 1986, setting a record but that missed us. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139/100 "2022-12-06T02:24:16Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > Moved from Boston area to the Mediterranean climate of southeast North Carolina over 30 years ago and have seen only relative traces of snow (up to 6) inches a few times since then. And this is why my brother, his wife, and I daydream about wintering in the Carolinas when we’re 15ish years older. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-joke-out-there-dopers-in-areas-that-get-a-lot-of-snow-how-do-you-deal-with-it/975139.md?page=6)