February 10, 2026
Snow tips, salty slips
Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place
Snow life tips ignite a blizzard of clapbacks: “Buy winter tires, not lectures”
TLDR: A list of winter-survival tips sparked backlash: readers argued it’s one person’s experience, not universal rules. The loudest chorus pushed practical fixes—real winter tires and better roofs—while others questioned U.S. power reliability and joked that the best tip is moving somewhere without snow.
A cozy list of “how to survive winter” tips—power outages, shovel early, snow is heavy, read the manual, love your neighbors with plows—just got dumped on by the internet’s snow veterans. The boldest reactions? The “move or cope” crowd showed up fast. One reader peaced out of Michigan years ago and says the smartest winter lesson is simply not living in winter at all. Others blasted the author’s second-person tone, calling it preachy and insisting these aren’t universal rules—just one person’s story with a snarky voice.
The sharpest fight? Gear reality vs. writing style. One commenter shouted the obvious: put on real winter tires, not “all seasons,” while calling the tone “obnoxious.” Meanwhile, a curious onlooker sparked an infrastructure debate, asking if flaky U.S. power is a snow thing or just… normal. Across the pond vibes ensued. Roof talk got spicy too: why shovel at all if steep roofs make the snow slide off? Another reader chimed in that city buildings must be cleared so snow doesn’t avalanche onto pedestrians.
The article’s quirky bits—gaiters as fashion, lighting logs with cardboard, and a wink at Burning Man housing—read like survival zine meets runway show. But the crowd’s verdict? Less lecturing, more practical tires and better roofs, please.
Key Points
- •Expect power outages during major winter storms and prepare in advance with essential supplies.
- •Brief power returns after long outages do not guarantee restoration; plan for uncertainty.
- •Propane-heated homes may still rely on electricity; a wood stove serves as a key backup heat source (cardboard can substitute for kindling).
- •Shovel snow as soon as it falls; it becomes denser and heavier after freeze-thaw cycles, and consider roof snow removal under heavy loads.
- •Wear waterproof leg layers, change out of wet clothes promptly, and use gaiters to keep snow out of boots.