Sounds like the winters we have in Sweden, two things it reminds me off, my dad had a week off in railroad owned house on the border to Norway, he had to dig a tunnel to the front door, because the snow was up over the roof of the building, another time one of my pals was out skiing, suddenly he fell on his face, he couldn't understand what he'd tripped on at first, after a few minutes of checking and digging, he realised that tripped on the telephone lines!