Hi antlizzie,

Your comments are quite correct. When I said cold winters are best, that was just a generalization. It is best to get the cold prior to excessive snow cover for the precisely the reasons that you state. However, if too much insulating snow cover falls before the deep cold comes, then we typically salvage the situation by either compacting or stripping the snow to allow the cold to penetrate. The method depends upon the consistency of the substrate (i.e. how much water is involved and what kind of equipment we can get on to it first). For example, if the area is very wet or even has some open water, when the ice is thick enough to support snowmobiles, they will be used first to compact the snow. When the ice then gets a little thicker, heavier equipment can then get on it and both compact and strip the snow to allow more cold penetration. Sometimes, water is pumped up from underneath to flood the area like a hockey rink and get a more consistent surface. It can become quite complicated depending upon how the weather behaves for you.

In the end, no matter which way it goes, colder is still better. I really made that cold comment just to show people that not all of us long for warmer winters.

Take care and Merry Christmas,

RHammer