Cost of living in northern New England states is high. Paying for heat for at least 6 months is a huge expense. Electricity isn't cheap either.

Just look up the Million Dollar Highway

I wonder if this will be one of the warmest decembers for VT in recorded history

It’s more that you can go from 50°-60° weather where no one in their right mind would have winter tires on their vehicle to 20° and three feet of fresh powder in an hour or two drive. I did this myself visiting a friend in Sacramento and going skiing at Boreal. 90 mile drive and a mile and half elevation increase.

In order to cross mountains in places like the Sierras, Cascades, and Rockies, chains are required.

Born and raised in Vermont and used to call outsiders “flatlanders” just like the rest of you but when I moved away I realized we are flatlanders compared to people who live in the west.

must be west coast snow-nerds (this is always advised by public safety authorities when people travel to the mountains on the west coast. it's not supposed to be a long term thing, you basically pull over before a road block, and they check for chains).

could you even imagine leaving your chains on all winter like studs! XD

Yes to both. I drove a lot in Tahoe and the drops on the side of the road are very steep and there is no salt on the roads. The area just dumps a ton of snow at once too. Mix that with people who visit the mountain areas aren’t usually driving in snow.

What I saw in Tahoe is chains are required based on your set up. I had an all wheel drive with snow tires and used chains one winter when we got like 10 feet of snow during a weekend storm leaving the mountain skiing, but generally I just carried them in the trunk- and that was what was required with my set up. If you didn’t have all wheel drive or snow tires, you often would have to put on chains to get through the passes and they would make you do it at the checkpoints.

Jeez, how many accounts have you been through? What happens when you run out of ways to riff on ARealVermonter?

Because chains are a far cheaper option than getting Winter Tires, by a long shot (not to mention changing them out again in the Spring). That would be my guess. Hell, I'm from Massachusetts before I moved up here, and we didn't ever use winter tires or chains. For a lot of folks, it's a foreign concept.

Are we supposed to be surprised?

Tire chains are great in rural areas just for things such as driveways and short distance. Best thing for winter commute on cars is studded tires. Everyone be safe this new year eve. Peace ✌️

I forgot, my bills stop existing when I get sick! Thanks for the reminder. It's wild that every other industrial nation can provide guaranteed vacation, sick and parental leave yet we can't here in the USA.

Ah yea, Donner Pass, named after the Donner party, whose travel plans went swimmingly.

Laws are the reason for gun violence 🤦‍♂️

Acabadabadoooooo

It’s because anyone who is from the South grew up with every boomer-and-older-person inexplicably bringing up needing snow chains any time a place with snow was mentioned and overall treating the idea of snow as a completely unnavigable and extremely dangerous situation.

Everyone 60 and over in the south just loves to talk about chains. If you are traveling anywhere by car where it might snow, they ask if you have chains and make a this HUGE deal about it. And as is typical, they don’t believe you when you tell them they aren’t necessary.

Mammoth Lakes got like 14 feet of snow recently so yes the Sierra mountains get a lot of snow.

Generally the only folks that have snow tires in Cali are the hardcore skiers and snowboarders that go every chance they can when there is powder.

The rest of folks generally don’t have winter tires, but have chains for emergencies.

Am I going to waste time with dedicated Reddit troll who calls himself “dad fart”? No, I’m not. I’m going to block and move on with my day. Happy new year buddy

Not from my experience working food samples. That was the hour for parents who had picked up their kids from school and were looking for quick snacks to appease the kids.

Something tells me the Rolex isn't the first thing he swiped.

Who said fired? You must mean he’ll need to give the watch back, and all the stress from this means some well deserved paid vacation time.

When I worked in there, the hour before closing was always the quietest.

Editing to add - benefits go out for the first of the month. That day was always crazy.

I don’t even have studded tires!

I’ve experienced the opposite and hear people thinking summer tires or shitty all seasons are fine up here during winter. Drives me crazy

I am In Montana near a city about the size of Burlington. Salt just really isn’t a thing here. Supposedly there is a small amount in the sand they put out at intersections, but it’s a very small amount. Severe shortage of plow drivers. With the huge influx of people now that everyone’s moving here to live out their Yellowstone cowboy fantasies, the roads have been a shit show the last few years, interstate has been closed multiple times this winter for pileups. We don’t have rust though, so there’s that I guess.