Shovel?

have you tried front porch forum?

Snowblower. You can’t be dependent on others and live here.

You live in a relatively rural part of vermont. Sometimes we gotta do things the hard way. Grab a couple shovels and get to work

genuinely curious, are you from out of state?

What an asshole taking a fucking vacation. That pos should be hung

Stop whining and start shoveling

Yeah I hate to be like that but....i also have an 8mo old and the guy who plows my private ROAD (not even my driveway) didn't show yesterday. I was out there with my ATV plow until that broke, then I finished it off with my snowblower. Took forever and I'm sore as fuck but now my neighbors and I can get out.

But my wife and I made the decision to live out here. We have cars that can handle all but the craziest snow, we put good tires on the cars, we schedule propane delivery well before we need it and for a time where weather is not a factor, we have our own snow clearing machines and redundancies (ATV with plow, snowblower, and a good ol shovel). We also have a good rapport with neighbors who will help in an instant, including a farmer with every type of tractor and plowing implement you can imagine.

Knock on some doors, make some calls, and otherwise get to work.

Can you not shovel it? It wouldn't take that much to clear enough for a car to get through it. And with the coming warm period, if you get down to gravel or asphalt it'll melt quickly.

As a fellow infant parent who's plow guy didn't come (for our private road) - no offense but get to work. Also moving forward schedule propane deliveries well before you need it and for a day where weather isn't bad.

At the end of the day you are responsible for making sure your house is accessible. Yes you hired a plow guy but as you can see, things happen when you rely upon others. If you live in a place where you could possibly get in this situation i think it behooves you to have a level of personal preparedness.

Wow, the responses on here are awful. You have no idea if there are physical reasons why they can't shovel, or snow blow. Maybe that's why they have someone to plow it for them. Have some compassion my fellow Vermonters.

I’m sorry, I would do it but I’m a good 50 miles away. Try Front Porch Forum.

LOL brain was on NSFW mode when I read this title!

Yes, we are posting in every place we can to try to find a replacement service. Thank you for the suggestion!

C’mon folks. Save the criticism for after they get some help. In the meantime, isn’t there somebody that they can call?

Thank you. If only I could afford an ATV with a snow plow attachment and a snow blower or have a career that allows me the time off to spend hours shoveling 3 ft of snow off a 200 foot driveway. The lack of compassion here is stunning. God forbid that someone’s Plan A and Plan B falls through and they try to use a community to come up with a viable Plan C.

the post title had me confused for a sec.

who didn't, though, really.

It's funny, I had wanted to move to Vermont until I read this sub. Vermonters are absolutely awful if this place is any indication, and this is from a Long Islander. Think they need to revisit for the rudest state.

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I agree. We got three feet and our plow guy had heart surgery. It is so thick and our driveway so long that a back up plow got stuck for over an hour. A shovel is a joke right now. Show some compassion people!

What’s your incline like? I myself am a long driveway enjoyer.

[deleted]

They're not much use at manual labor, but I guess you can give it a small scoop and see how it goes.

I think most people are just taken aback by the idea that not having someone to plow your driveway is such an emergency. Unless you are elderly or disabled of course.

Most people are used to dealing with snow...not trying to make you feel bad.

Agreed reddit attracts the folks with the loudest voices but doesn't necessarily represent a place. I've met all sorts in Vermont, but generally folks here lean much longer than the rest of NE.

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.

20-30 ft incline. Not sure on %.

Did meters give it away?

The upside is they'll be back in jersey by summer.

Maybe it's time to make a backup plan. Adults need to be resourceul.

Jokes on him. Aruba sucks.

No, I grew up in Springfield VT. Metric FTW.

Call up your neighbors and shovel out.

You don't know anybody with a plow or snowblower? You haven't stockpiled any extra propane?

230 feet of shoveling isn't exactly fun, but a grown man should be able to pretty easily do it. Get to work!

It's VT in 2023 so of course "I need to get to work" isn't on the list.

I did. A family member has a personal plow truck but they are in FL at the moment and they live 1 hour away so I can’t walk or find a ride. Now I’m on Plan C, which involves calling as many people as possible and posting for leads.

Your job requires you work 18 hours a day every day?

I'm not trying to be heartless, but I'm sure you can find the time to take a couple hours in the morning or evening.

THIS. most people do not get their driveways plowed for them. unless you're disabled you'd better start shoveling.

Grew up in Vermont and have never heard of a shovel?

Glad to hear you no longer want to move to our state, why you here then?

I’m a tax accountant so 16 hours, yes.

Doing it yourself should come before begging strangers to do it for you

Wonder how much of your driveway would be clear if you just spent that time shoveling…

Mission accomplished I guess

Also, it took 2 hours this morning to shovel our deck, front walkway, and path to the propane tank. The driveway would take at least 4x that.

Man, 80+ hour weeks? Surely if you're putting in those hours they're compensating you well enough to be able to save and purchase a used snow blower.

It'll suck, but get a couple less hours of sleep tonight than usual and shovel out. I have many fond memories of shoveling out with my dad in the dark with some terrible headlamps after he finished up with work (too bad your 8-month-old can't yet help out lol)

Seconding FPF, I'm disabled and found some folks to come help shovel me out on there.

lmao that was funny

why am i having a hard time believing that a guy who has been on reddit for over an hour with an 8 month old baby doesn't actually work 16 hour days...

250ft driveway and complaining about not having a plow. Give us a fucking break

Strap it on your back as a counterweight to the shovel.

Strap them to you and get shoveling. Or have your partner watch them. Or if they sleep well carry the monitor with you while you shovel. I know my $50 monitor works over 200ft from the camera.

John Deere Tractors are 0% interest for 60 months. My 2032R with rear blade can plow 200 ft of driveway in maybe 15-20 minutes.

Ain't nobody saying guy can't take a vacation. But not telling your clients that you're leaving is a major dick move. I have no doubt OP would be better prepared if they'd had even a few days notice.

So OP, what made you move to Vermont?

I’m always bewildered when North easterners of all people don’t pick up on sarcasm lol

They're not very scoop shaped, a bit heavier than a normal shovel and you'll hafta bend over pretty far, but I'm sure you can make it work

When my kids were that age I'd put them in one of those packs. Do firewood, cut grass, gardening. Ahhh shoots! Now I sound like my parents. Lol. Hey good luck with your snow removal.

This is the Vermont version of Twitter. It's where people come to bitch and be NIMBYs about their subreddit while they complain about them.

Most of Vermont is not on r/Vermont and will go way out of their way to help people in need.

It’s just that we all have to do shitty things some times we don’t want to do. There’s a long list of driveways needed to be plowed and it would just be smarter and more efficient to do it yourself at this point. It’s a tax of living here.

And risk his jazz hands?

OP I feel you. As a new parent at one point 8 months is a crazy hard part of being a new parent. Exhaustion fully sets in. Your coming to terms with doing everything you did before plus everything it takes to keep that little human alive and happy. (Which is typically every single unspoken minute you have that the rest of the world doesn't demand from you)

My advice would be to post of Front Porch Forum for this kind of stuff. This subreddit seems to lavish in lecturing people who are struggling by calling them incompetent or outsiders or dumb to bolster their ego about how tough they are because they live in VT. FFP will be much more helpful. I've lived in VT full time for the majority of my life and I promise you most Vermonters outside of this subreddit dont respond to request for help with lectures and "pull your self up by your fucking bootstraps attitudes"

In the mean time (not to be contrary to my point) I would do everything you can to clear out your plow pile at the end of driveway so emergency vehicles can get to you easier. But I promise you any EMT will climb that snow pile and walk to your front door if you have a 911 call.

70 meters is pretty significant.

So what good is a snow plow if it is going to get stuck?

A little over 200ft is for sure not nothing. But over the course of a few days you should be able to make it passable with a car.

What a VT winter will do to a person

A BIG “Have cash NEED PLOWING” sign at the end of your driveway. Someone ought to pop up.

This reply has so much Vermont energy to it there is like a pine tree coming through my computer right now

You sure it’s not a sugar maple?

We are all set. A friend of a friend of a friend pulled through and we were able to give him quite a bit of business for his unrelated day job.

For all of you that legitimately tried to help, thank you. To everyone else, I hope that the next time you are in a difficult position that you are able to receive help or at least empathy.

This post made me rofl. I’m over here looking at my one year old thinking I have a leg up on those little 8mo old Vermonters!

My guy, this exact scenario happened to my wife and i last year. Long ass driveway, heavy ass snow storm, shitty ass plow driver didn't show up. We put our big boy pants on and dug a 5ft ×200ft path to the road. It took a few hours, it sucked and we were sore after but we got it done.

My wife works in a tax office. Long hours this time of year for sure. But don't tell me you can't afford an ATV with a plow. We bought one this year and she isn't even an accountant....

Right, snowblower is basically mandatory to have here. That or make sure you got provisions so it doesn't matter.

FPF and Facebook are much nicer if you need help from neighbors.

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This thread is saltier than I-91 after a snowstorm.

I'd pile on, but my plow guy didn't show up either, and I'm now curled up in a ball underneath my kitchen table, keening.

Shovels are $8 at your local hardware store. Buy a couple and get to work.

Mash, it’ll get OP a thug. Suggest calling your town clerk, fire chief, auto mechanic, and others who see/know everyone if they can recommend a reliable plow driver who can come for assured payment. You may need sand, too, unless you have lots of melting the next day. Good luck to you

I didn’t mean mash. I was saying, Naah.

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Glad you got the help, and I’m a disabled veteran so I DO feel for you but I 100% get where the flak came from. Hopefully your plow guys vacations don’t line up with another monster storm haha.

Sorry but the responses here are embarrassing. VTers pride themselves on being self-reliant, but that doesn’t need to be at the expense of someone else. We don’t know the full situation and we all had our first bad winter before.

If someone is asking for help, provide help, provide ideas, ask for more info, or shut the fuck up.

Where is the Vermont community? We help each other. That is what we do. Shame on the snide remarks. If I was 20 years younger and closer I would come to your assistance. I pray someone will reach out to you.

Propane is auto delivery. They didn’t schedule anything. And way to be an ass to someone asking for assistance.

Not very neighborly or Vermont of you. Hope you found help OP.

Love, Gramma.

As a Vermont gramma please accept my apology for all of the assholes that have never faced a problem they weren’t prepared for. Geez, this forum is brutal. Glad you found help. Please note, we aren’t all like this!

To be fair, "just shovel it yourself" is an idea.

Yeah, I came to this thread with sympathy, I also have an infant and I shovel my 220 foot driveway every time the snow is too heavy for my snowblower…which has been the last 2 storms. I was out at 9 last night and 4 this morning. It sucks, but it’s necessary. I took some ibuprofen and I’ll still cover my baby shift tonight.

But, if I ever found myself in a situation like OP where I couldn’t do it on my own, I have 4 guys with plows and sanders in my contact list that I could call (and frequently do after we get ice storms to lay down some sand for traction.).

OP: if you read this, I realize this comment sounds sarcastic, it’s probably the dad brain… but genuine advice is this year you should get out in your community, make some friends. Join your local emergency service volunteer organization, half the guys there plow for a living, and now you have someone to call in a pinch 😂

I shovel my own driveway, but your declaration that most don't have someone plow their driveway is absolutely bullshit

All I can say in response is, I understand the objective of your comment, but I wholeheartedly disagree. It is perfectly OK for two adult strangers to negotiate a deal on services for pay.

At first I thought this was sexual…. 😂

These lonely Vermonters can't wait to get plowed!

Walk to a local farm, ask for help.

Lmaooooo

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Yup. Young couple, 2 shovels, and an hours work they will be done. Or just wait 2 days and it will have melted to the point it doesn’t need plowing.

y'all are brutal. And probably young. There's no WAY that I (not SUPER old, but old enough to have a fucked back) could shovel that much driveway. And and 8 month old baby doesn't exactly leave you with a ton of extra energy.

A backup plan should exclude relying on someone else. A good backup plan would be a snowblower. Save up some money and buy a used one.

Another comment you were complaining you don’t have a good enough job to afford a snowblower. An accountant working 16 hours a day should be doing just fine…

Before I was on the team of people that was confused to why everyone was being so harsh on you. Now I’m starting to think yeah, maybe you should be bullied a little bit.

Get to shoveling.

200+ feet is a awful lot of shoveling. I regularly do about 80’ and that’s more than enough.

Not trying to be a dick but I would look for a better snow shovel. I shovel a lot at work and a nice shovel is twice as fast if not more. They’re a bit pricey but worth it for sure.

Nobody is stopping you from buying a truck and a plow and providing the labor. I know OP is not asking for a free lunch, but don't bitch at everyone if you're not going to go do it.

There's more than one perspective here. As someone who unashamedly uses a service for driveway plowing:

Sure, we could buy a tractor or a plow for our truck. All of which would mean we sent our money out of state/paid a corporation/paid interest on a loan for years. We'd also then have to service, maintain, and safely operate said equipment, all of which is a bit of a learning curve.

Or...crazy idea...we could pay our neighbor, who provides a service for a living, and keep him and his money in state. Even if one time he got stuck in our driveway and had to come back with more equipment, or if one time he booked a vacation (probably months in advance) and gambled wrong about the big storms being over for the year.

We would expect notice that he was gonna be gone...but FFS people. OP isn't asking for a handout, they're trying to hire a professional.

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I wasn’t going to respond anymore but one repeated point being made is ignorant as shit. 3ft of snow, 200ft driveway, 12ft wide path is 7,200 cubic feet of snow.

A snow shovel holds approximately 1.5 cubic feet of snow. If it takes an average of 4 seconds to complete a single shovel, then it would take me over 5.3 hours of non-stop shoveling without a break to create a path just wide enough for a car (never mind the rest of my driveway). That’s also over 100,000 lbs of snow.

Anyone with the word shovel in their post, post a picture of how much snow you shoveled today.

If I was closer I would've happily come and plowed you out, but c'mon ma, you definitely didn't get 3 ft. I'm at a high elevation much farther south and barely got 18 inches.

I don’t disagree with your premise at all, just the method. I don’t think it’s wise to advertise to the outer world that you have cash. It’s asking for a rip-off, kinda like posting on your local listserv that you’ll be away for the winter. Maybe it doesn’t happen in your neighborhood, but in mine, there are those who go round offering to do odd jobs, and in the process they’re casing your place. This parent is somewhat vulnerable, tending to someone even more vulnerable, and in need for help to feel safe. My suggestion to ask people in the community who can recommend someone reliable to plow for them seems less likely to bring in someone bent on crime. My neighbor (who lives alone) called on someone who advertised roof-raking (not a local, but from the next state just over the border); at her invitation, he showed up to talk specifics and view her roof. She found his manner inconsistent with his supposed purpose (he barely looked at her roof) and had an uneasy feeling about him when he could not come up with a fee or a reference or say he was insured. After he left, she asked our local law enforcement if they recognized his name and learned that there’s an outstanding warrant for him in his home state which can’t be acted upon unless he commits a crime here. She did not hire him. Best bet for someone to work for you is to ask someone reliable who can recommend someone who is reliable. It’s also a good way to get to know your own community.

33 inches https://www.stowe.com/the-mountain/mountain-conditions/snow-and-weather-report.aspx

Let’s be real, that’s why we clicked

What's your favorite? I have a classic metal shovel and generally am happy but it's getting long in the tooth and I'm always open to improvements.

I know a handful of ppl with long driveways they don't get plowed at all, just park at the end and take the shoe-leather express up and down every day. We are all ultimately masters of our own destiny.

Plow style or the high leverage with a bend in the handle are nice but the black or green solid hard plastic are my favorite when you can’t use thoselike these

Did you dense motherfuckers see the part where they said they have no way of getting out of their driveway. How do you expect them to buy a shovel when they can't get to the store?

I'll bookmark those, thanks.

I try and get it before it’s walked on but a flat head shovel is the best for hard snow

Door dash will deliver from tractor supply, or Walgreens, or dollar general all of which carry shovels. AND WHAT KIND OF DENSE MOTHERFUCKER DOESNT OWN A SHOVEL IN FUCKING VERMONT YOU FUCKING MORON!

👏👏👏

https://preview.redd.it/y392rb68i1oa1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=f75f540606c401e1ce93b9e0fb8ec8314d8fa596

Were it me I would pay you one canuckistan peso per liter by weight shoveled for every degree kelvin over 0

R/vermontgonewild should be helpful

Are you shopping in the toy section for an $8 shovel?

I never said most people outsource plowing. I said most people are used to dealing with snow.

What I was implying was that without someone to plow, most people would decide to shovel themselves in an emergency.

You're reading into what I said incorrectly.

Well I have shoveled while wearing babies on my back many times. (For real actually. Gotta do what you gotta do but obviously not everyone is physically capable of doing that.) You can also bundle them up and put them in a sled and let them watch. It’s not that cold out.

LOL I shoveled my 70 meter driveway today because I had the day off work and wanted to get out and enjoy the sunshine, and I have a skidsteer parked in the garage. Hopefully OP has figured out their dilemma and realizes a vast majority of Vermonters are able to be self sufficient in all expected conditions, like sugar storms in mid March. Keeping fuel tanks full, having water and dry food on hand, shovels, generators, firewood, et all are standard operating procedures for winter in VT. Also, getting out and trying goes a long way, I had two guys stop when they saw me shoveling to see I wanted them to swipe the driveway.

Me and my finance shoveled yesterday. Because our plow guy wasn’t coming until today, part of being a responsible adult and parent is not relying on anyone for anything. I’m sure there are very charitable people in Vermont that will help you out…. Posting this on your towns community Facebook page would get you results I bet. More importantly when you get out of your stuck situation go to the hardware store buy at least a shovel. It sucks that’s why most of us who work in this weather and then come home and move the snow themselves hate this season. Lol

It costs you $0 to just not say anything. You can think what you want about anyone. Saying it aloud creates more problems than it solves.

80 hours a week during tax season for a tax accountant doesn't sound unreasonable at all.

Check out Nordic napping. I used to clean out a spot large enough for the stroller, bundle kid up and strap in. Seriously best nap for kiddo and super productive for me!

It coincidentally cost me $0 to sit on the couch with the dog by the woodstove watching a hockey game, dicking around on my phone on Reddit. MSG me your address and I'll mail you a fuckin trophy

Sure, but it’s a job that can provide the savings to purchase a used snow blower, is my point. In another comment OP was complaining about working a low paying job that didn’t make that possible.

Your electricity, tv, internet/cable, and wood supply are all by donation?

Don’t think the issue was that he took a vacation. It’s that he didn’t warn customers so they could make prior arrangements for when he was gone. That’s kind of common courtesy.

Obviously not, but you already know that assuming you're an adult and would presumably know GMP and cable companies require payment for services like any other business.

month 5! Give it up for month 5!

r/whoosh

Auto delivery will never leave you in a situation where you’re going to run out if you’re a day or even a week late. Also not everyone has auto delivery.

This is the most prudent advice for this person at this point. I’d say it’s very vermont to not beat around the bush.

Love, Grampa

Now get off my lawn unless you’re gonna shovel.

Boy you sure showed me!

[deleted]

have you found someone yet? i might have someone who would do if for a couple bucks

[deleted]

When you pay people and have a contract you sure as fuck should be able to depend on them...that's what you're paying for. Also 230' of snow blowing a driveway, get real.

This is genius

r/WhatACunt

I do completely agree they should own a shovel, or better yet a snow blower. But that's beside the point. OP asked for help finding someone to plow their driveway, and instead of offering help you chose to be deliberately obtuse

So clever

They don’t move far. You bundle them up and plop them in the snow and they stay put while you shovel.

The baby isn’t the obstacle, the 200ft driveway is.

Those damn plow hooligans

There was sun today?

Oh different kind of plowing.

That's what she said

I could relate, though my driveway is fine.

If you live up over 3000 ft on Mansfield you definitely want your own blower or plow.

https://www.mynbc5.com/article/snow-totals-vermont-new-york-noreaster-march-14-2023/43315707

Did he ask??? Yikes

LITERALLY!!!!!

Same. Even if they are young we have no idea what physical limitations they have. This thread is big yikes

Grab a shovel and start working. Ask your neighbors for help

I’m sorry this happened OP. I had a similar situation happen in the Valentine’s Day storm of 2007. Our plow guy quit and we were stuck with a 1500’ driveway under 45.”. I had a toddler and a very pregnant wife at the time. This happened to me 16 years ago and the trauma is very much with me today. We all have our ways of getting through winter. My take away is to not rely upon others to get out anymore. I’m the only one that I can really count on when the chips are down.

We bought a used one for $2000 from FB market. It's a total game changer. It takes me 15 min to plow my 200ft driveway in regular snow and a half hour for this deep heavy crap..

I have a 200ft driveway with a four car landing at the top. It takes 45 minutes to snowblow it. I do it every time it snows. Last year the blower was down and we got a heavy storm, we shoveled 5'×200' to the road so we could get a car out. It took a few hours and it was hard work, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm not saying it's a good or bad idea..

I don't know why you're getting down voted. We live in a rural area on a tough road that wreakers can't make it up until it's plowed and sanded. when the guests at the Airbnb down the road get stuck, we tell them to "walk to the farm at the bottom of the hill, ask for Dan." He's got a tractor and is always excited to help/ rib some flatlanders about not having snow tires while he pulls them out. (Without ever asking for anything but a thank you. )

People in this thread are barking about community but are to afraid to knock on their neighbors doors. I'm positive if this guy talked to even one of his neighbors his driveway would have been cleared in no time. Instead he decided to get roasted on Reddit.

Sure was, snow let up around noon and by 2pm I needed sunglasses

Ooof, think of the implications of this comment.

This guy vermonts. It’s not for everyone. Most people that move here don’t understand that at some point you WILL have to labor

Its hard for some people. My dad is recovering from a hernia, my mom is in physical therapy because her knees aren't working correctly and she's like a few months out from possible knee replacement, and my fiance has bad asthma. That leaves our 200 ft, very steep, driveway to me, recovering from covid, with nerve damage in both shoulders.

We have a contract, and he's awesome and a neighbor. If he just decided right before a big storm to leave with no warning, I'd be just as pissed. Not everyone can do that kind of physical labor, nevermind doing it safely. They use tractors to plow our driveway, we got 4 ft of snow this storm.

Funny. My 75 yo neighbor still shovels and maintains his driveway without crying about it on Reddit. Of course he is a native. Unlike 65%+ people here.

You are right, natives would never get injured, older than 75, or sick. No one should ever get help when having trouble. Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. It'd just being called a heart attack storm for no reason.

People move here complaining about having to shovel snow is a special kind of idiocy to me. My reaction will never change to hearing people complain about things that a region is known for. It’s like moving to Seattle and complaining about your stuff getting wet because of the rain. Just stop it.