DENVER — More snow is on its way to the Denver metro and neighborhoods in the mountains. This means plow drivers are gassing up and getting ready to go to work.
Justin Nau with Hilltop Mountain Services said he was preparing to take calls as early as Saturday night. He said after the winter storm during the week of March 11, he doubled the number of driveways he served.
"We probably did another 50 driveways at least," Nau said.
He usually serves about 43 homeowners between Indian Hills, Pine Junction, Conifer and Evergreen.
Nau said the increased demand for service partially came from a lack of providers. He said following the storm that dumped feet of snow on neighborhoods in the mountains, some plow drivers couldn't financially afford to keep working.
"A lot of guys are just hanging up their hats," Nau said. "They're retiring trucks, not going to fix them. Four-wheel drive can be $2,000. Transmissions can cost thousands of dollars."
Nau said he doesn't buckle under the weight of snow or added pressure.
"Unless I die, that's the only way I see myself stopping," Nau said. "I have a lot of passion in snowplowing, passion in excavating and running equipment, ever since I was a kid. This is Hilltop Mountain Services and we're here to stay."
Nau has suffered his fair share of costs related to working in harsh conditions.
"Coming down a hill, tried using the brakes and they didn't work because it was all nothing but black ice and this went into a tree well," he explained as he examined damages to his plow from a previous storm.
Even with 20 years of experience, he said the snowstorm from mid-March had his equipment working overtime.
"Just staying on top of that storm, it was difficult," Nau recalled. "I knew we weren't going to be able to keep everyone dug out. Through the past 10 years of doing this I had never seen a storm come in this fast. It was just dumping snow and there was just no way to keep ahead of that."
He said days were long and nights were short.
"I actually plowed for 7 days, probably 6 and a half days, just doing driveways," Nau said.
Nau said he's ready to be where needed as soon as expected snow makes its descent on the mountains.
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