I am not crazy about snow. And here is it in Boise, with a few inches on the ground. I DO NOT like to drive in it. I am the one going in first gear, 10MPH and stopping at intersections 6 blocks away. I would rather walk to work then drive in the snow. But I will suck it up and drive.
The one thing that I like about snow is shoveling. Really, I don’t mind it. I had a super nice $1300 North Face that was awesome in the snow. The zipper messed up last winter. There was one night when I worked graveyard and shoveled at least 6 hours in that jacket. I burned major calories that night!And I wasn’t too cold, or hot, and it repelled the snow like a champ.
I got a pair of Sorels I am going to take to work tonight. Along with extra socks, shoes, and a change of pants. I wore my Patagonia Capelenes all night last night, which have to be the best cold weather gear I currently own!
There are a few tips I have for shoveling snow properly.
Use good gloves. Blisters are nasty.
Take breaks inside to warm up and drink fluids. I will drink hot chocolate and hot tea at least once an hour.
Move a little bit of snow at a time. I prefer to push the snow at angles off the sidewalk instead of follow a long path.
Don’t twist your back to throw snow. Use your strong runner leg muscles to push the shovel full of snow along the sidewalk. And if you have to throw it, squat and lift.
Keep one hand on the top handle of the shovel and one hand near the middle to throw the snow.
A little ice melt or salt goes a long way. People use way too much and that too much get tracked indoors. Which is a pain to clean up.
Do you have any tips other for snow shoveling? A snow blower is not an option for me at work tonight.