Not-So-Dry January

Woooooohooooooo! More snow! Praise Ullr!

This morning we woke up to another 4 inches on our deck in Valley of the Sun, and so Clint and Christian headed straight out after breakfast to get a head start. Those of you who didn’t hit the trigger in the last storm, expect to see them today. If you want to help move things along, make sure to have your cars out of the way so that they can get in and get out quickly.

As always, we ask you not to contact either Christian or Clint directly. We want them to finish up as quickly and safely as possible, and the best way to do that is to leave them alone and just let them do their thing. If you have any questions, please call the main line, Carey, or Christin. We are happy to help if we can. :)

Stay warm and safe!

New Year, Fresh Snow!

Yesterday started strong with 2 inches already on our deck in Valley of the Sun when we woke up, with the promise of more to come. The storm continued through the day and by sundown, some pockets of the Valley had 4 inches, while others merely had a dusting. That’s that weird mountain weather for you- tons of microclimates all coexisting in one valley! Christian and Clint headed out in the early afternoon to start the route in Blue River (where they got a FOOT!) before making their way back through the upper parts of Placer and lower VOS, and called it for the night just shy of midnight (yay!) They both headed out early this morning, and finally finished clearing everyone just before sundown. If you had 4” in your driveway, they cleared you.

With this storm being over New Years, it was no surprise that we got a lot of calls from renters wondering if they were going to get plowed. As such, it’s probably a good time to review some information for renters.

First, make sure you educate your guests on how to measure fallen snow. A good trick is to tell your renters to measure the driveway with their credit card, starting in the middle of driveway, not on the edges where roll-off accumulates. Credit cards are just about 4” long, so it gives them a good idea as to how much snow they actually have. I can’t tell you the number of times we have received a panicked call from a client saying their renters are telling them there’s 8” in the driveway, only to discover that in reality, it’s not quite 3”. Some of our clients have been great about communicating this to their renters, and include a clause in their rental agreement that places the financial burden of plows outside our contract firmly on the renters. I’d strongly suggest following suit, as you can easily run through all your monthly plows with pushes that are below trigger.

Second, as it says throughout the neighborhood, snow chains or adequate snow tires are required to drive around our mountain roads. It’s not a suggestion or an opinion, it is a fact. Most rental companies are not going to equip their cars with expensive studded snow tires, but there are a number of places locally where you can purchase chains or AutoSocks. Al-Mart and Napa both carry these items and are less than five minutes from both Valley of the Sun and Placer Valley. Plowing cannot remedy being unprepared for this environment, and ultimately it will be a lot cheaper to buy chains than it will be to have their car towed from a ditch.

Finally, you know that we always ask that you do not call Christian or Clint directly during their route to inquire as to when your driveway will be plowed. We are going to take this one step further and ask that you also remove their contact information from your House Information Booklets, and instead provide your guests with Carey’s information or Christin’s information. We are both more than happy to speak to them and assist if we can. As we tell you with each storm, stopping to answer calls can put our men’s lives and your property at risk, and it delays the route, which means it will take longer for everyone to get plowed. We don’t want that, and we know you don’t either. Please make a point to update your information packets with the following-

Carey Bjornnes
469-396-4601
carey@cavebuug.com

Christin Lander
469-396-6141
christin@cavebuug.com

Main CaveBuug line
970-406-2724

If we work together on this, we can make sure that the rest of the season runs smoothly for all of us, including your guests.

Happy New Year! :)

The Weather Outside is FRIGHTFUL

Holy moly is it cold outside or what?!?! This morning we woke up to a fresh 5 inches on our deck (yay!) and a windchill of -28! I hope you all have plenty of wood and warm, cozy blankets!

Christian and Clint started their routes around 4 am, starting with Valley of the Sun, before moving on up to Placer. If you haven’t seen them yet, you surely will soon. As always, we ask you not to contact either Christian or Clint directly. We want them to finish up as quickly and safely as possible, and the best way to do that is to leave them alone and just let them do their thing. If you have any questions, please call the main line, Carey, or Christin. We are happy to help if we can. :)

Stay warm out there today!

Ullr, bring us snow!

Ullr Fest is kicking off this weekend in Breck and to get it started, Summit certainly got a good dump, but unfortunately most of it missed us on the other side of Hoosier. This most recent storm dropped about 3-4 inches on Valley of the Sun and Placer, with most of it concentrated up top near the peaks. Christian and Clint started their route at 1:30 am and managed to clear almost everyone by noon. If there was 4 inches or more in your driveway, they plowed it. If not, you’ll just have tracks.

Sorry for the delay in this post, we are juggling a couple of sick kiddos between us. :) Stay warm out there, and feel free to contact Carey or Christin if you have any questions.

The Storm that Wasn't

Boy, oh boy, the way it looked in the forecast, you’d have thought we were going to get buried under 3 feet of snow, with avalanches every few minutes. In reality, the latest storm spent most of Friday snowing lightly on the Mosquito Range and blowing around the falling snow, with total accumulations somewhere around 3-4 inches for most of our little corner of Park County. The boys set out at 2 am to start the route, and should finish sometime this afternoon. They’re knocking ‘em out quickly, so if you have plans to get out today, you should be good to go.

As always, we ask that you direct any questions to Carey or Christin or you can call the main line to speak to one of us. Stay warm and enjoy this gorgeous snowy Saturday!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

Well I feel like this is a word I’ve used all month, but it is FRIGID outside today! And we finally have a decent snowfall for show for it! The storm passing over the Mosquito Range right now hasn’t quite dropped the 4” trigger, but the boys are out regardless, checking driveways and pushing where needed. If you have 4” in your driveway, they will clear it. If not, you’ll see tracks.

As always, we ask respectfully that you do not call Christian or Clint directly. They will get to you as they make their way through the route, and interrupting them to ask when they’re coming will cause delays and could put them at risk. If you need immediate assistance or have any questions about your service, please call the main CaveBuug line at 970-406-2724 or call Carey Bjornnes at 469-396-4601 or Christin Lander at 469-396-6141. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

Have a spectacular day and LET IT SNOW!!! Woohoo!!!

Start of the Season Storm!

Hello and welcome to another winter season up in the Mosquito Range! Thank you all so much for trusting us to serve you for yet another gorgeous, snowy winter. Yesterday we got our first storm of the 2022/23 plow season, dropping just about 2 inches of accumulation in Valley of the Sun. For good measure, the boys set out at 4 am to check all of the driveways on the route, because you just never know up here. If you had more than 4 inches in your driveway, your driveway was cleared. If not, you’ll only see tracks.

This is a great opportunity to explain to our newer clients how we operate and answer some frequent questions.

When Do We Plow?

Per our terms, we will automatically plow your driveway when there are 4 inches or more of freshly fallen snow accumulated in it within 48 hours of the storm ending. This does not mean drifting, or windblown snow; if you need drifting cleared, it will be counted as an additional push and could result in an additional charge. If you are on a per-push rate, you simply need to call, text, or email, and we will get you cleared, regardless of depth.

Why Do We Do It This Way?

Plowing is hard on…everything. It’s hard on trucks. It’s hard on plows. It’s hard on equipment, such as loaders and skid steers (which we prefer to use when possible). Pushing too little snow can result in unnecessary damage to our vehicles and equipment, and can absolutely destroy a plow over the course of a season, especially if your driveway is in need of resurfacing. Additionally, we don’t want to see our clients run through all of their monthly plows in one storm, and have to pay even more money to keep their driveways cleared. That’s why we don’t include drifting in our terms, and unless we have a huge storm (think like 24 inches or more), we wait until the storm is over to start our route.

Another thing to consider, plowing is also really hard on driveways. If we plow your driveway and there’s too little snow or zero snowpack, we end up pushing your driveway material (rock, gravel, road base, etc) around and you’ll have to either hire us to come out and re-spread it or you’ll be out there yourself with a shovel come Spring. No one wants that.

I Got 4 Inches and My Driveway Isn’t Cleared Yet. He’s Still Coming Right???

This is a question we get pretty regularly, and it has the simplest answer- we follow a set route that we decide on before the season starts. This maximizes our time and our fuel use, which helps us to keep costs down, for us and for you. If we ran around to every house that called when they called, it would take us days to clear out all of our clients, and we would burn through hundreds of gallons of fuel in every storm. That’s not efficient, and it is not how we roll. We know that there is little we can do about the fact that our trucks and equipment burn fossil fuels (for now, we are aiming to have an all electric fleet within 10 years), so to help lessen this environmental burden, we carefully plan our route to optimize each mile we drive. This results in less fuel burned, which ultimately results in fewer costs passed onto you.

Don’t worry. We know that there are some shady characters up here, and you may have been burned in the past. We will not abandon you, we will not take your money and not plow, and we will always do our absolute best to communicate with you quickly if there are any delays. This is a promise.

Who Do I Call If I Need Assistance or Have Questions?

This is an easy one- call Carey or Christin. We are the operating partners, the wives, the moms, and your point of contact for all your snow removal needs. You can call our main number at 970-406-2724, or you can text, call, or email either one of us directly. We respectfully ask that you do not contact either Clint or Christian while they are out plowing. Distracting them with a message or call while they are on their route can be dangerous and result in damage to our equipment or your property, or even cause them bodily harm. We don’t want that, and we know that you don’t either. We know the route and we can see their locations at all times, so it’s best to reach out to one of us and we can give you a good idea as to when you can expect them.

Additional Info

Some things to keep in mind-

It’s highly likely that we will be plowing your driveway before sunrise, especially if you are in Valley of the Sun. Typically, Christian likes to leave around midnight to start his route, and Clint sometime soon after that. If you don’t want to get out of bed in the middle of the night, it’s advisable that you move your car out of the way during the storm so that the guys can get in and get you cleared out without disruption to the route (or your sleep).

If you rent your house out as a short term rental, it’s your responsibility to communicate this to your renters. We will honk a few times to alert them to our presence if their cars are blocking the driveway (during the hours of 8 am-5 pm), but we cannot allow for the time to stop, get out, ring the bell, and wait for them to drag their hungover butts to the door. We have a full route this season, and it’s not fair to our other clients to have their service delayed due to hangups at one property. If no one comes out, we will plow around what we can, and move on.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email to any of us. Let’s have a great season, and of course, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

Save the Best for Last

Well, it wouldn’t be Colorado if we didn’t save the craziest storms for the end of the season! This weekend’s storm finished Monday morning, dropping a little over a foot on the Mosquito Range, and up to 15 inches in some pockets. Though we are so grateful for the moisture, it was rather unfortunate timing for us, as both Carey and Christin were in Dallas until Monday evening, leaving Clint and Christian on Daddy-Duty. As a double whammy, our regular sitter (who comes to our house) came down ill over the weekend, so she couldn’t watch the babies, leaving the guys to scramble to get the boys to school and the babies to another sitter. As a result, their usual routes were disjointed, creating a delay in service. You know we hate that.

Both of them left before sunrise this morning, after plowing what they could get to yesterday. They will be out all day, so expect to see them at some point. If you have cars in your driveway, plan to have them out of the way all day so that the guys can get your drive completely clear as soon as possible. And as always, please do not text, email, or call either Christian or Clint. You can direct all inquiries to Carey and Christin.

Snow Bunnies in April!

These April storms can be so unpredictable! This week we got two storms, but neither saw much accumulation, and most of it melted off before the storm ended. We went out on Wednesday and plowed where needed, but it was mainly isolated to the higher elevations. Thursday dropped another couple of inches, so we went out again Friday morning. Just as we saw on Wednesday, most of the accumulation was isolated to the peaks, and not much had stuck around. You may have seen us out and wondered why we didn’t plow your driveway. Well it’s because we only plow if it’s deep enough (4” is our policy). This helps keep our equipment from getting damaged, and keeps our overhead costs down so that we don’t have to raise prices higher than our competitors. If you have questions about this policy, please read over our Why & How We Remove Snow page.

Stay dry out there! :)

April Showers in the Mountains Means SNOW

When we moved here, my Colorado Springs-based uncle told me the following-
”You know the phrase ‘April showers brings May flowers? Well, in Colorado it’s April snowstorms instead.’” And boy howdy, he was right! Although, the flowers don’t really come until June, so I guess in Colorado, we should say, “April snowstorms brings May mud, which eventually turns into June flowers.”

Yesterday’s storm hit South Park with a mix of snow, sleet, some hail, and a whole lot of mud (thanks to all the warm temps of late), as well as some bitterly cold temperatures (-18 windchill when we woke up for school this morning!). While some of the higher elevations saw decent snowfall, most of the snow that fell on the lower elevations melted off by the end of the day and into today. Christian and Clint left after breakfast to check driveways and clear anyone who got 4” or more. Ever wonder why we only plow 4” or more? Check out our page Why and How We Remove Snow to understand why we have the policies we do (hint: it keeps our equipment from getting damaged and therefore keeps our route moving instead of persistent breakdowns that delays service).

As always, we ask that you direct any questions, comments, or concerns to Carey & Christin, and please do not disturb Christian or Clint while they are out plowing. We know you want to get your money’s worth, and letting the guys do their thing is the best way to ensure that you get cleared out in a timely manner.

Stay warm today and if you’re traveling, stay safe. :)

Happy St. Paddy's Day....is snow lucky?

You’ll have to forgive me for being a bit behind this week. We’ve been slammed at CleanBuug, in addition to being on kid duty thanks to a surprise snow day this week. This is the first quiet moment I’ve gotten to update the blog. :)

Christian and Clint have been out quite a bit over the last week, doing push backs in addition to our regular fallen snow service and shoveling. They left yesterday morning around 5 am to clear this latest storm, and then they were back at it just after sunrise this morning. They should finish getting everyone cleared today. As always, please don’t call, text, or email the guys while they are out. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to direct those to either Carey or Christin. We are happy to help you out anytime!

First of the March Snowstorms!

Good morning! March is here and with it comes that heavy, wet Spring snow we all know so well. Christian left at midnight to get started clearing Valley of the Sun, while Clint left just before sunrise to get started on Placer. They’ll be out all day, and will hit the roads tomorrow as well. Give them a wave if you see them out there, they’re working hard!

As always, we ask that you direct questions, requests, or comments to Carey Bjornnes & Christin Lander. Stopping to answer calls, texts, or emails delays the route and can put Christian’s or Clint’s lives and your property at risk. We are happy to answer your calls and texts all day, and we can pass any important information on the guys.

Stay warm!

Slow, Quiet Snow Days

Yesterday, we started to get a storm that has been lingering over our mountains for the last 24 hours, slowly dropping some fresh powder on our corner of South Park. As of 8 am, school is cancelled and we have about 4 inches on our deck at 11,100 feet. Per our company policy, we try to wait until the storm passes before we go out. It saves you money and it minimizes our environmental impact by not running the trucks ragged doing driveways multiple times during one storm. The plan is that Christian and Clint will be heading out here in a bit when the snow begins to wane.

As always, we kindly ask that you direct any and all questions to Christin or Carey while the guys are out. Please do not call Christian or Clint. Stopping to answer your call puts their lives and your property at risk, and creates delays on the route. Both Carey and Christin are more than capable of answering any questions you may have, and we can more effectively pass on notes to Christian and Clint while they are out on their routes.

Stay warm and enjoy this beautiful day!

Thank You, Ullr!

This winter has been frighteningly light, and February has been no exception. While we have had a few storms drop some snow that was below the trigger, we have only had a couple of true winter storms that blanket our beautiful mountains in the glittery, powdery snow that we all crave. Thankfully, last night we received a blessing from Ullr, and we have a full four inches at our house at 11,100!

The guys left early this morning (around 4:30 am), and will be out all day. If you have 4” or more of fallen snow in your driveway, you can expect to see them sometime over the next 48 hours. As always, we ask you to please reach out to Carey (469-396-4601) or Christin (469-396-6141) with any questions or concerns. We don’t want you to disturb Christian or Clint while they are plowing as this distraction can put their lives and your property at risk. We know their routes and can see their locations, so we are much better equipped to answer your questions and help you out.

Enjoy all this fresh powder and stay warm!

Oh! What a Beautiful Morning!

WOW! These last few days have been COLD! Not just cold- FRIGID. The temperature this morning when I got the kids ready for school was -14 with a windchill of -34. Time to layer, layer, layer.

The storm that blew through here dropped just under 4 inches of snow at our house (11,100 feet), not quite the trigger but the boys were out yesterday anyway, hitting Placer Valley and parts of Valley of the Sun. Christian left around sunrise this morning in the loader to continue clearing everyone out. We are shorthanded today, with Clint having to take his car to the nearest dealership in Glenwood Springs (welcome to life in the high country!), so you can expect a few delays as Christian manages the rest of the route on his own. Please be patient, and trust that he will be there. Remember, per our contracts, we have 48 hours to clear you out, so if you have 4 inches or more of fallen snow in your driveway, one of them will be there before EOB Friday.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not contact Christian directly. You can direct those calls to either Carey (469-396-4601) or Christin (469-396-6141). We are able to see Christian’s location and can let you know round about when to expect him.

Stay warm! :)

Let It Snow!

The guys spent today getting the equipment ready for the storm, while it snowed steadily all day long. As I write this after midnight, the snow is still falling and we’ve got about 6 inches on our deck in Valley of the Sun. Christian will be heading out at 2 am, with Clint following at dawn. Looks like it’s gonna be a long couple of days in the trucks for these guys. If you see them, remember they’re working really hard and maybe give them a smile and a wave; they deserve it.

As a reminder- please do not call, text, or email Christian or Clint while they are plowing. This can be distracting, and we don’t want them to get hurt or cause any damage because they are trying to answer your call. Carey and Christin can handle all of your inquiries, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us (Carey- 469.396.4601; Christin- 469.396.6141). Please remember that we are a professional service, and we honor our contracts. Our contracts state that we will be there to clear you out within 48 hours of the storm passing. If there’s 4 inches or more in your driveway, rest assured that we will be there.

Welcome to January

Holy moly, the wind today was insane! In addition to dropping about 3-4 inches, the blowing snow and gusting wind created an honest-to-goodness blizzard out there. I hope you weren’t out driving in it! Poor Christian had to go get a prescription for our sick kiddo, and was gone all day, thanks to the storm and precarious driving conditions! Thank God he made it home safe!

As it’s getting late, the gents are already in bed and prepped for another early morning in the trucks/loader. Christian is planning to hit the road between 2 and 3 am to start his route, with Clint heading out once the sun is up. As a reminder- please do not call or text Christian or Clint while they are plowing. This can be distracting, and we don’t want them to get hurt or cause any damage because they are trying to answer your call. Carey and Christin can handle all of your inquiries, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us (Carey- 469.396.4601; Christin- 469.396.6141). Please remember that we are a professional service, and we honor our contracts. Our contracts state that we will be there to clear you out within 48 hours of the storm passing. There is no need to ask if we are coming…if there’s 4” or more in your driveway, rest assured that we will be there.

UPDATE:

Christian left at MIDNIGHT, if you can believe it! If you see him out there, give him a smile and a wave, because that man is going to be tired when he gets home!

Happy New Year to everyone, and especially to Ullr!

They say that how you spend New Years Eve dictates how you will spend the next year, and if that’s true, I guess we will spend 2022 working our butts off!

New Years Eve came and dumped about 5 inches in Valley of the Sun, 4-5 inches in Placer Valley, and a decent dusting across the rest of South Park. The boys were out in the trucks by 2 am on Jan 1, and worked hard for the following 16 hours to clear out everyone on our route. If you had 4+ inches in your driveway, Clint or Christian was there to clear it. They then spent all of Monday and Tuesday shoveling decks, raking roofs, and clearing anyone else who needed it.

Please remember that if you need any assistance, call Carey (469.396.4601) or Christin (469.396.6141), and we can help you out. It’s super important not to disturb our guys while they’re plowing, so that they can focus on getting the job done quickly and efficiently. We know where they are and we know their routes, so just give us shout.

Christmas Eve brings Santa....and lots of snow!

It’s been a light winter so far, and we have endured a few out-of-season burn bans up here in South Park. So we were thrilled to get a heavy dump over Christmas, even if it meant working through the night until Christmas morning. Christian and Clint headed out at 2 pm on Christmas Eve, plowing all night, and returning in time to open stockings with our kiddos around 8 am on Christmas morning.

After a short break over the Christmas weekend, the boys were back at it on Monday and Tuesday (12/27-28), clearing a few more inches that dumped Sunday and Monday. They also went out Tuesday and Wednesday to shovel decks and rake roofs.

If you had 4” of snow in your driveway, Christian and Clint were by to clear it. If you were below the trigger, they checked on you but didn’t plow. If you have any questions about this, or notes on snow storage, please call Carey (469.396.4601) or Christin (469.396.6141) and we can help direct your message to the right man.

Looking forward, there is a big storm coming for New Years, at which point we will resume our standard service, meaning that we will go out once the storm passes. This saves you money, as we won’t use up all your monthly plows in one storm. Please call Carey or Christin if you have questions, and remember to be safe and be prepared. Winter storms often bring the possibility of a power outage. Make sure you have lots of water on hand and plenty of wood (if you have a wood burning stove), as well as easy prep meals. If you are coming up, or have renters at your place, make sure all cars are equipped with chains or adequate snow tires, and ideally AWD or 4WD. Happy New Year! Cheers!