The official start of winter doesn’t happen until halfway through December, but each year there is always uncertainty about when the first snow is scheduled to arrive. It’s unusual to see snow in Calgary before Thanksgiving and Halloween, but as soon as November rolls around, Calgary homeowners start to put away the toys and tools of summer, and reach for the winter clean up section of the garage or shed.
Why Snow Removal Matters
No matter how long you’ve been a resident in Calgary for, you know how impactful snow is on the city even in light winters. With an average of over a metre of snow each year, having a solid plan for snow removal is the only way that you’ll keep you and your family moving. If you leave the snow to pile up, there are many negative consequences that will happen.
Freeze to Ice
While eventually, all the snow will melt away like a bad dream, the cold weather lasts for a significant number of months in Calgary. This means that any snow that you don’t deal with will quickly freeze into ice, creating hazardous surfaces on your sidewalks and driveways. Granular snow has a small amount of grip, while the frictionless surface of ice is impossible to walk or drive on safely.
Heavy Weight
Even the lightest powder snow can become problematic if allowed to sit on your property. It quickly sticks together and melts into ice, and the sheer weight of all that frozen water can quickly become too heavy to shift. You’ll also need speciality tools to break the ice and compacted snow into manageable chunks, as well as strong back muscles to avoid injuring yourself.
Long Melting Time
The final reason why efficient and timely snow removal matters in Calgary only becomes apparent when spring time comes around, and you’re left looking at big piles of solid ice while your neighbors are already starting their spring start up checklist. Leaving snow and ice as they fall in your yard tends to lead to big piles that resist the warmer weather for longer, so it makes sense to take care of it immediately so you can enjoy the best of the short Calgary spring.
Snow Removal Tips
It’s clear that timely and efficient snow removal is an integral part of your property maintenance plan in winter. It’s also clear that you need to make a plan about how you’re going to deal with the snow before the first storm hits. Here are some simple tips to help you stay on top of your snow removal in Calgary:
- Have the right tools – as with any property maintenance project, the key to effective snow removal is having the right tools available. For most people, this means have the right sized shovel. This “right size” will depend on a few factors, such as how tall you are, how much core strength you have, and the size of your walkway and driveway. A smaller shovel is easier to lift, but will leave you out in the cold for longer, while a bigger shovel will get the work done quickly, but might be too heavy to lift in the case of a large amount of wet snow and ice. If you’ve got a lot of space (and somewhere to park it!) a small snow thrower could be the answer, but comes with a significant initial outlay and requires annual maintenance to keep it in good condition.
- Designate spaces to throw to – the next trick is to designate areas of your yard that you can deposit snow from other places. It can be tempting to just dump the snow from your driveway on the space next to your driveway, but as the winter wears on and more snow comes, this can make for high snow banks that make it hard to throw snow over. Instead, you’ll be better off doing a two step shovel. Firstly, clear the desired area, and then scoop that snow and clear it into different areas of your yard, taking care not to build up any one area.
- Shovel little and often – finally, no one relishes the idea of snow removal in the middle of the bigger Calgary storms, but shoveling 10cm or more of snow in the morning, especially when it’s had time to melt and settle, can be a back breaking exercise. Where possible, it’s better to do your snow removal routine two or three over the course of a snow storm than one big operation once the snow has stopped. Not only will you save yourself physically, but it will be easier to manage the piles of snow across your property.
Get Professional Help
All of these snow removal tips requires physical effort, mental planning and often some money to bring to reality. Fortunately, there is an easy way to take care of your snow removal needs: call Scoop Cut N Shovel to discuss our winter snow and ice removal service. We charge on a subscription basis over the winter meaning that you’ll have access to our team of worry-free snow removal experts no matter how many storms or how much snow the city receives. We’ll come to your property before the first snow flies to discuss your needs and to agree what areas we’ll clear for you. After that, you just get some winter peace of mind no matter how bad the storm is.
Bundle To Save
If the idea of paying a small amount to have a large load taken off your mind makes sense to you, you need to consider our other property maintenance packages. From spring start up to a fall clean up and everything in between, we can take care of your backyard all year long. Each package comes with subscription options, and the more that you bundle together, the deeper the discount we are able to offer. So call today to start your worry-free winter.