As anyone whose slipped on a patch of ice can tell you - a little salt can go a long way. But basic salt is just one weapon in the war against ice. Here are some examples we are currently evaluating - and how we plan to use them.

Treated Products

Salt is great at combating ice formation - but not if it’s colder than 18°F outside. Salt that’s been pre-treated with calcium chloride-magnesium chloride mixtures can be used at lower temperatures, and will persist on the ground for longer periods of time.

Some groups of people make a ton of money when a blizzard runs through town: your hot chocolate vendors, your sporting goods stores filled with sleds and skis; and – for four years now – futures traders.

Yes, folks - the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is letting you bet on snow.

Since 2006, if you’ve had an economic stake in how much of the white stuff hits the ground, you’ve been able to buy snowfall-futures contracts and hedge your bets. So if you’re a ice scraper manufacturer and you’re worried that it’s going to be a warm, dry December, you could buy into the market and cut your losses a little.

We at Snowpusher hear it all the time; a flyer from a operation offering rock-bottom pricing for plowing services lands in the mailbox of a property manager. A name, a number, and a handwritten promise. A call is made, and sure enough, a parking lot is cleared. But in the morning, a plowblade-shaped dent in the side panel of a tenant’s car brings angry calls, apologies, and a desperate search for the fly-by-night operation that was supposed to save this manager a ton of money that winter...and guess who’s not answering their phone?