How much do you drive in snow in the Metro area?

[5280milehiguy]

You should be more concerned about the black ice that develops after a thaw, freeze, thaw, freeze. You know you really can't see it, and you feel it only when you are sliding. Have a good backup plan with transit, not only during a storm, but a few days after too.

Welcome to Denver!

[ucbedge]

Thanks everybody for the replies!

My wife doesnt work (right now) and my employer is pretty flexible with me working from home. I understand that they clear the roads pretty quickly in the Metro area....which makes me think that ice is more of a problem than snow.

My manager (from Georgia) told me that last winter he was only actually driving in the snow two or three times - once when it snows in the morning on the way to work, and twice when it snowed while he was at work and had to drive home in it. The rest of the time (according to him) are bad snows where you stay at home anyway. Is this view of the world correct?

[Count David]

Originally Posted by ucbedge

Thanks everybody for the replies!

My wife doesnt work (right now) and my employer is pretty flexible with me working from home. I understand that they clear the roads pretty quickly in the Metro area....which makes me think that ice is more of a problem than snow.

My manager (from Georgia) told me that last winter he was only actually driving in the snow two or three times - once when it snows in the morning on the way to work, and twice when it snowed while he was at work and had to drive home in it. The rest of the time (according to him) are bad snows where you stay at home anyway. Is this view of the world correct?

They don't always clear the roads quickly.

This isn't always the case, but if you see plows out before the storm hits, it probably won't snow. OTOH, if you don't see plows out, it will snow. There are times when they'll just let the sun melt the snow, and there have been times where it has taken me an hour to drive 5 miles. Just prepare yourself for everything, and go slow, you don't want ice or snow to lead you off the road, into a barrier or into another car.

I think your manager is wrong. In my two years here, there were two days (both last year) when the news was urging everybody to stay home. Both days I was out in it because I had to work, snow or not. Those days are rather interesting because there is almost literally nobody out, and some places (fast food joints, stores) are closed when you wouldn't expect them to be. I would say less than 5% of snow days fall into this category, and on most snow days, LIFE GOES ON.

I'll add that most managers/workplaces here won't let you use snow as an excuse to miss work or be late. Since you are able to work from home, this might not be an issue for you, and your manager seems like a sympathetic enough guy to let you stay home when it snows more than two inches.

[misplaced1]

Put some studded tires on that car and you should be fine.

Or buy some of these...They are easy on and off during the winter season.
spider spikes...
http://www.spikes-spiders.com/ I had some on an Eclipse out here in the Sierra mountains and they don't plow so well here.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I think your manager is wrong. In my two years here, there were two days (both last year) when the news was urging everybody to stay home. Both days I was out in it because I had to work, snow or not. Those days are rather interesting because there is almost literally nobody out, and some places (fast food joints, stores) are closed when you wouldn't expect them to be.

In snowy conditions, those are the best times to be driving: when nobody else is out. Prior to living in GJ, I lived in a town that received occasional heavy snowfalls and people would stay at home. At that time I had a 4WD pickup and I found that it was incredibly easy to drive all over town before the snowplows came out without any issues even on 1 or 2 feet of fresh snow.

[christiaan90040]

i try not to drive in snow as much as possible. may car is one of the rare real wheel drives here.

[Katarina Witt]

This is not Chicago, where they make a huge effort to clear the roads. The main roads may get cleared within 2 days of a storm, but the residential streets may languish for weeks, while it melts away. Federico Pena was almost recalled as mayor once b/c he couldn't keep the Denver streets plowed. It hasn't gotten much better in the succeeding administrations. Boulder often gets gridlocked when it snows. It has taken my DH hours to get home from 7 miles away some nights.

As David said, managers aren't too hip on people using "snowed in" as an excuse not to come to work.

[ej25]

i just moved from socal too lol. i cant wait for the snow. my gf and her dad have been fine for years livin here with their FWD civic and ford focus. AWD helps of course but doesnt exactly save lives. still glad i brought my AWD suby with me

[5280milehiguy]

I agree, don't count on using excessive amounts of days away from the office due to snow. This isn't South Texas, people still go to work on snowy days. It's just the big storms, remember Dec 06 when the majority of the workforce can actually stay home. You might have to take PTO from work if you want to stay home due to snow. Always have a backup transportation plan during winter.

Originally Posted by Katiana

This is not Chicago, where they make a huge effort to clear the roads. The main roads may get cleared within 2 days of a storm, but the residential streets may languish for weeks, while it melts away. Federico Pena was almost recalled as mayor once b/c he couldn't keep the Denver streets plowed. It hasn't gotten much better in the succeeding administrations. Boulder often gets gridlocked when it snows. It has taken my DH hours to get home from 7 miles away some nights.

As David said, managers aren't too hip on people using "snowed in" as an excuse not to come to work.

[BarryK123]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

In snowy conditions, those are the best times to be driving: when nobody else is out. Prior to living in GJ, I lived in a town that received occasional heavy snowfalls and people would stay at home. At that time I had a 4WD pickup and I found that it was incredibly easy to drive all over town before the snowplows came out without any issues even on 1 or 2 feet of fresh snow.

I spent 8 years in upstate NY and did the same thing. used to do my food shopping during snowstorms. When I first moved there, I found a large, empty parking lot covered in snow and practiced skidding, stopping, etc.

One thing to remember - 4WD doesn't help you stop any quicker on a slick spot. Keep your speed down and leave more space between cars.