How To Deal With Snow In Montana

When Mother Nature dumps a snow load on us in western Montana, the more experienced residents (and thusly better prepared) are ready for it. Farmers Almanac predicted an entire month of snow in December 2022, and it looks like we should have heeded their warning.

So we're going to need to move the heralds of the holiday season that are falling from the sky in large quantities, but there's several methods at our disposal in Montana (including this totally awesome one!)  Which one do you use?

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The Good Old Fashioned Shovel

With this kind of exercise, who needs the gym? Skip leg day, arm day, back day all you want because when all you have is a shovel and there's a whole sidewalk and driveway that needs clearing, you'll wish you either:

• had a snow blower (see below)
• had kids to do it for you (also below)
• lived in Hawaii

Wait For The Snow Plow

For those that drive a rinky-dink 2-wheel drive gutless wonder like I do, sometimes you're at the mercy of our amazing city and county plow drivers who sometimes work around the clock to keep our roads somewhat driveable. Sure, you could strap on those chains or cables and make life a little easier on yourself. But having plow drivers on whom you can rely makes getting around our Montana city streets a treat.

Snow Blower

The trusty snow blower makes getting rid of Mother Nature's winter glitter a breeze, as long as you take good care of it. This thread has some great tips for first-time snow blower owners whether you're in Montana or not. Plus if you have one of these babies, suddenly your non-snow-blower-owning neighbors want to be your good friend for some reason. You can be a benevolent kind soul or you can make a happy buck. Or your kids can make a happy buck...more on that below.

Hey Kid, Come Shovel My Driveway

One of the best things about living somewhere with access to the entrepreneurial spirit present in so many bright eyed middle and high schoolers is that you can find pretty much anything on your honey-do list that the kids could do for you. It's just going to cost you. Pay reasonably and they might be knocking on your door offering to rake leaves, clean gutters, and mow lawns too. Sit back and save your back, you're gonna need that baby in tip-top shape.