Last Big Storm of the Season!

WOO HOOOOO!!!!! One last storm to close out the regular plow season and boy howdy did Mother Nature deliver! We woke up to about 7 inches on our deck and it has continued to steadily snow all day. Christian left after breakfast to get started on the rentals, with Clint joining after a quick repair, and the boys will be out pretty much all afternoon and all day tomorrow.

Please reach out to Christin Lander if you need assistance. She is available to answer any questions.

Please remember that this is likely the final storm of the season. Starting May 1st, we will be in what is called a shoulder month. Shoulder months are not covered by our contract, so if you need a plow in May, you will need to call and let us know, as opposed to us automatically coming.

Enjoy the snowy Saturday and stay warm!

April Showers...

Well, what initially looked like a dud of a storm overnight transformed into a stud of a storm. It’s super windy out there today, blowing around what we got and making piles and drifts everywhere, so it’s hard to tell how much we actually got. The guys are out plowing today, so you should see them sometime in the next 48, but likely sooner.

Christin Lander is out of town visiting family, so if you need anything, please reach out ONLY TO CAREY. I will answer any questions you may have, and will help you to the best of my abilities.

Thank you so much! I know it’s been a roller coaster of a season, and we are so grateful that you’re on this ride with us. :)

Stay safe and warm out there today!

One More Time for Good Measure

Last night’s storm was a quick little dump that dropped just over 4 inches on Valley of the Sun, but be warned- it IS icy, thanks to all the warm weather last weekend, so proceed with caution. I saw two wrecks on the way to Summit this morning, and the day has only just started.

The guys were gone well before dawn to get the route started. They expect to be out all day today and into tomorrow, so you should see them sometime over the next 48 hours, providing that your driveway has 4+ inches in it. Remember, we measure from the middle, not the edges where it is not an even measurement.

Please reach out if you think you’ve been missed, but understand that we plan our route well in advance to maximize our time and minimize your wait. If you expect us to drop everything and come to you, you will be delaying our route and making things take even longer, so we ask that you just be patient and wait. We will be there.

One thing I’d like to address from the last storm- we received a lot of calls from renters and from property managers who were relaying messages from renters who were insistent that they needed to get out immediately, and were quite rude about it. To be clear- a trip to the hospital is an emergency, wanting to go skiing is not. Winter in the mountains is unpredictable and can be quite treacherous, and those who vacation here MUST be prepared for this- this means 4WD, chains or traction devices, and above all PATIENCE. If they would like to assist in making the route proceed more quickly, they can park their cars out of the way or be mindful of when we honk. Hearing from clients that their renters got into yelling matches with the county plow drivers and then blaming it on us is NOT going to make us plow any faster. As we say throughout our website, on many of these blogs, and when we initiate your service with us: kindness will get you everywhere, rudeness will get you nowhere. We are people too, not robots, so please treat our drivers with respect. They are working their tails off, and they do a damn good job so that you don’t have to.

Stay safe and warm out there!

Final Update on Last Week's Storm

We have finally managed to catch up from this monster storm and boy, oh, boy, the guys are exhausted. We plowed 12+ hours daily from Wednesday until Tuesday, and it was a beat down. We have been shoveling sporadically this week, but in all reality, that’s not going to be a priority until next week. For the next couple of days, you will probably hear from Christian or Clint regarding pushbacks. After the winter we’ve had, a lot of you are running out of snow storage, and when time permits, the guys like to make room in your driveways for more snow. Life in the mountains usually means snow through May, so we are not out of the woods yet.

We have another storm coming this weekend, so prepare yourself and buckle up for a wild and crazy end to March.

Stay warm and safe!

UPDATE ON THE STORM OF THE YEAR

Okay, things have finally started to lighten up and it looks like the storm is moving on. Hallelujah! All said and done, we have about 3 feet at our house in Valley of the Sun. This has been brutal.

I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to send well wishes and prayers for Clint. He is home and resting now, and we are so thankful that he is on the road to recovery. This was a scary mid-storm event that certainly shook us. Your kindness has meant the world to us. Thank you.

With that in mind, I’d like to remind everyone of a few things:

1. With Clint out, Christian is our ONLY driver. We serve 150 clients. Please be patient. He was out for 12 hours yesterday, and left early this morning to keep it going. ON HIS OWN. He will get to you, but this is going to take time. As we state in our terms every year, we have 48 hours AFTER THE STORM ENDS to clear your driveway. Any time spent out beforehand is at our discretion. We will get to you, but it is going to take time, and as I stated in prior blogs and on our Instagram page, it will absolutely take the full 48, if not all weekend.

2. If you have guests who are calling you, demanding to get out, please explain to them that they aren’t going anywhere any time soon. This is a catastrophic storm that has dropped FEET OF SNOW on every corner of Central Colorado. There is 22” in Golden. Loveland SKI Area is closed. Eldora is closed because the roads are impassable. As of this writing, HOOSIER PASS IS CLOSED and 285 is under Traction Law with multiple accidents reported. No one is going anywhere. Period.

3. We are not the only company in Park County with staffing difficulties. CDOT and Park County Roads and Bridge are both suffering from staffing shortages. The reality of that situation is that there is one, maybe two if we are very lucky, graders plowing the county roads in each neighborhood at the moment. They are working as hard as they can, but this too will take time. Most of the tertiary roads are still buried, and will not be dug out any time soon. If we can’t get to you because the roads are bad, that’s just how it is. We can’t waste a ton of time getting stuck on your road and having to shovel out when we have to keep the route going, especially as we are a one-man show today.

4. Lastly, and most importantly- IT IS ILLEGAL FOR US TO PLOW YOUR ROAD WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMISSION FROM THE COUNTY. PLEASE STOP ASKING.

I know that some of your renters can be a pain. They are often unprepared for our mountain conditions and do not listen to your warnings ahead of time. They think that it’s like the city up here, where you can just call someone and have immediate access to whatever you want, but that’s just not the case. Everyone is working their butts off, and every call is just as important as the last one. We can’t let someone skip the line just because they think their travel plans are more important than our safety, our health, or our other clients.

Please reach out if you have any questions, but also remember that Christin is taking care of their two young children while also nursing Clint back to health, and Carey is taking care of their two young children as well. Texting is best, phone calls will be returned by EOD if possible.

Stay warm, and stay inside.

Hoosier Pass yesterday

EMERGENCY UPDATE

We woke up not only to a fresh 25 inches, but a medical emergency. Clint, our beloved partner and driver, is currently hospitalized, and unable to participate in this storm. This means that everyone is going to be cleared by Christian. This is unfortunate timing, but we are asking, begging, you all for patience and understanding as we dig out from this monster of a storm. It is slow work and will take time. We know everyone needs plowing, and we promise we will get to you. In the meantime, if you need to reach out, please only call Carey, so that Christin can focus on helping Clint get better and Christian can focus on clearing that route.

Thank you. This storm is not done yet. There’s another 9 inches in the forecast for today. Stay inside, stay warm, and stay safe.

WARNING: MAJOR STORM TO HIT FRONT RANGE AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS

We don’t normally send out a preemptive blog, but this storm warrants one. We are currently forecast to get at least 2-3 FEET OF SNOW over the next 48 hours. PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND BE PREPARED TO BE SNOWED IN. This means-

1. If you have a bathtub, fill it up. This will give you water for your toilets if the power goes out.

2. Fill containers with drinking water. If you don’t have any containers, go into to town TODAY and get drinking water from Prather’s, Dollar General, or Family Dollar.

3. If you have a wood-burning stove, pile as much firewood in an accessible place as you can, and cover it with a tarp.

4. Have candles on-hand.

5. Charge your computer and cell phones now while you have power.

6. Have food on-hand that doesn’t require electricity to prepare- sandwiches, salads, cereal, etc.

Please do not try to travel in this. It would be my recommendation that you do not try to leave your house if possible until Saturday. The plows are going to do their best, but there’s not much they can do against 3 feet of snow, so if you can stay home, do. I will alert you all when the guys start the route, but we are asking for patience on this one. It’s easily going to take us the full 48, if not longer, to dig everyone out.

If you are planning on coming up to your mountain home from elsewhere, try to be here no later than 5 pm this evening. After 5 pm, we are expecting around an inch an hour until Thursday evening. Have a safety kit in your car with flashlights, blankets, water, and food, as well as traction devices on or in your vehicle. This means chains, studded tires, or Autosocks. And if you can, please reach out to Carey or Christin and let us know your plan, so that we can make sure that those who are here get priority this time around.

Honestly, unless you live here full-time, I really would strongly recommend that you plan to come another weekend. All of next week looks gorgeous and sunny, with some light snow here and there. This is the biggest storm of the year and it’s going to pound us, the Front Range, and RMNP. Don’t risk it.

Stay safe and warm, and above all, be prepared. :)

Fat Flakes and Fresh Powder

This was a weird storm. It completely shut down Hoosier Pass but just quietly snowed all day on our side, while melting off quickly on the Breck side. Mountain life, amirite? We ended up with about 6 inches when it was all said and done, and the boys set out in the afternoon and through the night to get it cleared. They’re out today finishing up, and said it’s going quickly, so everyone should be done by tomorrow morning at that latest. If you have any questions or concerns, call Carey or Christin, and we can help you out.

One thing to remember with these March storms is that the snow can be pretty wet. Thankfully, the temperature yesterday was still really cold, so it’s not nearly as wet as it could be. However, as the sun hits it and it melts quickly today, you’re likely going to see a lot of ice and slush around the forest roads. Just take it slow and give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going.

Stay safe and warm out there!

March comes in like a...

I say it every year- nowhere embodies the old adage about March and lions better than Colorado. March started off with a huge storm, the same storm that has paralyzed California and made national news. Mountain life is weird for a lot of reasons but none more so than the microclimates that exist here. Some parts of our neighborhood saw a pretty decent drop (6+ inches at our house), whereas other parts didn’t even hit the trigger of 4 inches. We are still under an avalanche warning, as well as a winter storm warning (into tomorrow morning). You can expect to see us over the next 48 hours, but if you live below 11,000 feet, don’t be surprised if we come in and check without plowing. As a reminder, we do not plow under trigger because it moves around your driveway material and the exposed rocks can damage our blades. Yes, we know we are already there, but we plow this way for a reason, one based in years of experience doing this all winter long. Trust us. We know what we’re doing.

The guys have been out since the storm started to let up around noon and they will continue into the night, returning to the route tomorrow to get to those whose snowfall continues overnight. Please make sure your cars are out of the way so that they can get in and get out quickly with little disruption.

Before we sign off here, I wanted to give you a bit of a heads up. We all know that March tends to be an exceptionally busy tourist season up here. Spring Break for much of Texas starts next week, and we are already seeing an influx of out-of-state plates in town. We are slated to get another big storm on Friday which is forecast to drop at least 4 inches on Valley of the Sun, and likely more at higher elevations. If you rent your home out, please communicate with your guests and advise them to have proper snow gear in their car- this means winter tires/chains/AutoSocks, a tow strap, shovel, cat litter or sandbags for weight and traction, as well as extra food, blankets, water, and flashlights. These are the things that can make the difference between sitting in a ditch waiting hours for the tow truck and being able to get themselves out of the ditch and to their nice, warm AirBnB. This shouldn’t be news to anyone, as there are sign all throughout the neighborhoods here that tell you that snow chains are required, but unfortunately, some people still need you to hold their hands. Just be clear with your guests and let them know that this should be taken seriously. If they don’t know where to go for this stuff, direct them to Napa in Fairplay, or Al-Mart in Alma, where. you can buy traction devices. The more prepared they are, the better time they will have here.

Stay safe and warm out there folks!

UPDATE 3/4/24: CaveBuug continues its route. Please make sure your cars are out of the way so that we an get in and out quickly.

A Heavy Storm Delivers Over a Foot!

Boy oh boy, this storm is a doozy! The storm raged all day yesterday and through the night, dropping easily 12-16 inches on Valley of the Sun. The guys set out yesterday just after noon, while the storm was still going strong, to get a head start, plowing late into the night. They left early this morning to continue on, and will be out all day. We know everyone is anxious to get out, and we are working diligently to make that happen. Please be patient. We will be there. If you have questions or concerns, please call Carey or Christin, and we can sort it for you.

Let’s take just a quick minute and talk about storm safety. We received several calls yesterday regarding STR renters who wanted to get out. Let me be clear- if you rent your home out and you currently have guests, PLEASE ADVISE THEM TO STAY PUT. As I said, this storm has dropped well over a foot, and in some areas nearly two, on South Park. We’ve been experiencing 65 mph wind gusts and whiteout conditions. Even with a clear driveway, it’s very unlikely that your road has been cleared by the county, or if it has, it’s already drifted back in. It’s dangerous out there, folks, and unless you are very experienced in driving in these conditions, you could easily find yourself in mortal peril. There’s no reason to be on the roads if you don’t absolutely have to, so play it safe and stay in. Have a fire, make some cocoa, and let the storm rage on.

Stay safe and warm. :)

Let It Snow? Please?

This week we got a couple of minor storms, and the guys were out checking driveways and shoveling all week ahead of last night’s intended storm. They’re out again today, checking on driveways after the meager snowfall we got last night (2.5”, come on, what?!). Please try to help them out by making sure that your cars are out the way and all of your obstacles are still properly marked. If you have renters, please let them know that they need to have their cars parked out of the way, and if we honk, we can only wait a maximum of 5 minutes for them to come out before we have to move on. If you see them pull in and leave without dropping the blade, know that this is because there’s not enough snow in the driveway to meet the trigger. Remember: we measure from the middle of the driveway, not the edges where it rolls off and builds up.

If you have any questions, give Carey Bjornnes or Christin Lander a call and we can sort it out.

Stay safe and warm out there.

Early Spring? I don't think so!

Punxsutawney Phil might think Spring is coming early, but we Coloradans know better. February started off with a nearly a foot falling on Valley of the Sun, with more up in the higher elevations. The guys set off before dawn to start the route, and will be plowing all day long. Hopefully, the light and fluffy snow will make things go quickly, but you never know. Just be patient and know that we will get to you.

This storm is slated to continue all day, so it is possible that we will plow and then have to come back tomorrow or Monday. As always, we ask that you do not call, text, or email Christian or Clint while they are on the route. Interrupting them to ask if they’re going to plow is disruptive and can cause delays to the route or even put their lives or your property at risk. We know you don’t want that, and we definitely don’t want that either. If you have any questions, or if you’re worried that you got skipped, please call Carey Bjornnes or Christin Lander and we can get it sorted out.

Stay safe out there, and enjoy this gorgeous snow day!

Finally a break...time for some back-breaking shoveling!

Phew, this was a beat down! The guys were plowing for 7 days straight, Sat-Sat, and took a much needed rest on Sunday. They were back out yesterday, shoveling decks for those of you who paid the additional retainer for shoveling services. PLEASE NOTE: unless you request this service at the beginning of the season, we do not shovel as part of our standard contract. This has caused some confusion in the past, so please be aware that we do not shovel automatically unless you have requested it and paid the retainer. If this is a service you’d like to add, please let us know and we can determine availability.

Thankfully, last night’s snowfall didn’t reach the trigger, with only about 2 inches falling on Valley of the Sun. This means that shoveling will continue today and likely tomorrow, maybe even Thursday. We ask that you please be patient. Christian and Clint might look like hot young stallions, but they are in their 40s and this is truly back-breaking work.

Stay safe on the roads out there. Warmer temps plus light snowfall equals ice, and let me tell you, it’s a slippery mess out there. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It just keeps coming!

This storm has been absolutely crazy and it just keeps on coming. It has snowed continuously since Saturday, with small breaks here and there. Coupled with intense winds, this one has made an absolute mess of our neighborhoods. Heck, between yesterday morning and afternoon, our road almost completely drifted over. This one is a nasty one, so I would strongly advise you to stay home if that’s possible. Check the weather before you come up and go to CDOT to check the road conditions and cameras. Make sure you have water, food, blankets, flashlights, and candles in your car just in case, as well as shovels, chains, and any other device that can help with traction. Know where your tow points are and if you have straps, ropes, or tow chains, bring those too. You do not want to be stuck out in this. Trust me. I spent the better part of an hour digging a friend out of a drift yesterday, and it was a full-body workout to say the least.

Christian and Clint have been plowing 12 hours per day for the last 5 days, and there’s no immediate end in sight. They’re back out again today and will keep going until this is done and everyone is totally clear. Please do not text, call, or email them during this time. They need to focus so that we can all get through this, and stopping to answer messages will only delay things. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Carey and Christin and we will do our best to help you.

Stay warm and stay safe, and if possible, stay home. If you don’t need to be out in this, don’t be. :)

UPDATE 01/18/24 10:30 AM-

After speaking to Park County Road & Bridge this morning, the consensus is that if you don’t absolutely HAVE to be out in this, please stay home. They quite strongly advised me of this, There is a blocked culvert (or possible burst pipe) creating a massive 10-12” deep frozen flood on CR 14, and as such all available road crews are working on that today. Tertiary roads (nonemergency routes through the neighborhoods) will not be plowed until the situation is resolved. This means that unless you are very lucky, it’s likely that your road and all the surrounding roads are going to be drifted with massive 2-4 foot drifts and a whole lot of people stuck in the ditch. The fewer people on the road, the better.

And it's not over yet!

Boy oh boy, this storm has been a doozy! Temps have been below zero all weekend, with wind chills up to -30. Carey drove back from DIA last night and it was hands down the scariest drive of her life. Snow, ice, wind, abandoned cars, and jack-knifed semis…it was a nightmare. Best idea is to stay off the roads completely. If you’re up here, stay put. If you’re thinking about coming up, come up next weekend. If you have renters, it’s likely their flight has been either cancelled or delayed, so they should stay put as well if possible. Additionally, the intersection of CR 14 and Melba Ln is a frozen lake right now, thanks to someone’s gushing water system, so it’s the definition of treacherous.

The boys are out all day today, so they will be getting to you at some point today. It is crazy out there though, so please be patient. We will get to you. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay off the roads.

Holy Moly! What a Storm!

Now THIS is what we’re talking about! Last night’s storm dumped almost 10 inches on our corner of heaven, and thank goodness, because we desperately needed it. Christian and Clint are out all day today and tomorrow to get you guys cleared out, so rest assured, you will see them.

As always, we ask you not to text, call, or email either Christian or Clint while they are out on the route. This is because it can distract them and cause delays to the route, taking even longer to get to you guys. You know you don’t want that, and neither do we. If you have questions or concerns about your service, contact Carey Bjornnes or Christin Lander and we can get you sorted out.

With a storm this size, everyone is going to get done, so please be patient and know that you’ll see our vehicles rolling through very soon.

Stay warm, and honestly stay inside. This one is a doozy and the roads are a mess. Better to stay put with a roaring fire, cocoa, and slippers.

Finally some decent snow!

Hooray! We finally got some measurable snow, with this small storm dropping just about 3.5” on our little corner of Valley of the Sun. Even though it’s under trigger, we are still going out to check driveways and clean up the ones with 4” or more. Don’t be surprised if we come, check, and don’t push, because there’s too little snow in the driveway.

As always, we ask that you don’t text, call, or email Christian or Clint while they are on the route. This is a distraction, causing delays to the route and possibly even damage to our equipment or your property. We know you don’t want that and neither do we! If you have questions or concerns, call Carey Bjornnes or Christin Lander, and we can help you out. Also, please refer to previous entries on the Snow Blog if you’re wondering why we plow the way we do.

Stay warm out there, guys!

Good storm ahead of a warm weekend!

Good morning! This storm kind of came out of nowhere and dropped just about 4 inches on Valley of the Sun. Too bad it obscured the meteor shower, but maybe we’ll get lucky tonight.

Christian and Clint both headed out before sunrise to get started on the route. Heck, they were out before the county even came up 14! With how cold it has been, this should be pretty quick and easy, but of course if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Carey and I’ll get you sorted out.

As always, we ask that you do not call, text, or email Christian and Clint while they are out on the route. We want them to be safe, and we know that you do too. Carey can answer all your questions, so just ask her. :)

One last thing- if you’re looking to see some pretty lights, and the meteors just aren’t doing it, check out the Town of Fairplay Annual Holiday Lighting Contest. The town will be lit up and looking it’s best tonight, Thursday December 14th. Get out and enjoy all that glitters!

Happy December!

We are off to a great start for the holiday season! We got a decent storm this weekend that dropped a little over 8 inches on Valley of the Sun, with lots of gusty winds and bitterly cold temperatures. Looks like winter has finally decided to stay. Hooray!

Christian and Clint headed out Sunday afternoon once the storm stopped to get started on the route. They will be out all afternoon and evening, and again all day Monday. Due to some mechanical delays, we will be plowing exclusively in our equipment for this storm, even at the lower elevations, so you can expect it to take them the full 48 hours, as agreed to in our terms.

Just a quick reminder of a few things that we talked about during the last storm:

• If you are on a monthly contract, you don’t need to call us to plow. As long as there are 4 inches of fallen snow on the ground, we will be there.

• If you are on a one-time push or reduced rate contract, text Carey or Christin and we will make sure you’re on the route for this storm.

• Our terms state that we will have your driveway plowed within 48 hours of a storm ending. This means that once the storm stops, we will start the route, and have 48 hours to clear your driveway. Please be patient, and understand that there are 149 other people just like you, waiting for us to clear them out, and just like you, they all agreed to our terms which gives us 48 hours to get to them. We insist on starting after the storm ends so that we can maximize our efficiency and not waste your money plowing several times for the same storm.

• We don’t alter our route unless it is an emergency, so please do not ask us to. No exceptions. We plan our route well in advance so that we can maximize our time and minimize our fuel usage. Dropping everything to come to you not only wastes time and fuel but also delays the rest of the route, which is unfair to the rest of our clients.

• Please do not reach out to Christian or Clint while they are plowing. Answering client questions can be a distraction and can cause delays, as well as put their lives and your property at risk. We all know no one wants that, so if you do have questions, please reach out to Carey or Christin, and we will respond to you as soon as it is possible.

One last note:

If you have renters, please advise them to obtain snow chains at Napa in Fairplay, or AutoSocks at Al-Mart in Alma. The snow is light, but wet, so it’s pretty slippery out there. Traction devices are essential for driving on the roads up here right now. It’s a lot cheaper to buy AutoSocks (~$100) than to pay for a tow truck (~$300).

Stay safe, warm and cozy, folks!

Thankful for the snow!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! We are grateful to serve you for another glorious winter season in South Park. But we would be remiss if we didn’t give a big shoutout to Ullr, who celebrated the start of the holiday season by giving us a White Black Friday! We woke up to about 4-5 inches on our little corner of the mountain, and the guys set off to start knocking it out after breakfast when the storm started to taper off.

For those of you who are new this season, I want to start by welcoming you to the route! We are proud to be part of the South Park community and to serve our clients with integrity and care. I’d also like to let you know a few things about how we operate.

• If you are on a monthly contract, you don’t need to call us to plow. As long as there are 4 inches of fallen snow on the ground, we will be there. This is a fire and forget situation.

• If you are on a one-time push or reduced rate contract, text Carey or Christin and we will make sure you’re on the route for this storm.

• Our terms state that we will have your driveway plowed within 48 hours of a storm ending. This means that once the storm stops, we will start the route, and have 48 hours to clear your driveway. Please be patient, and understand that there are 149 other people just like you, waiting for us to clear them out, and just like you, they all agreed to our terms which gives us 48 hours to get to them. We don’t require this out of laziness, but rather so that we can clear driveways to our exacting standards, and make sure that everyone gets got in a timely manner.

• We don’t alter our route unless it is an emergency, so please do not ask us to. No exceptions. We plan our route well in advance so that we can maximize our time and minimize our fuel usage. Dropping everything to come to you not only wastes time and fuel but also delays the rest of the route, which is unfair to the rest of our clients.

• Please do not reach out to Christian or Clint while they are plowing. Answering client questions can be a distraction and can cause delays, as well as put their lives and your property at risk. We all know no one wants that, so if you do have questions, please reach out to Carey or Christin, and we will respond to you as soon as it is possible.

Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Happy winter, everyone!