Delta Beach residents are grappling with snowdrifts that are as tall as houses in some cases, and make for some very spectacular scenery.

Paulette Connery says their home saw their main entrance blocked by snow halfway up the doorway.

"We haven't seen them in the last few years," says Connery. "2019 was a bad year, too, but this year, the winds have been totally different than other years. We've had blizzard after blizzard. The winds have just changed, they've gone north, northwest and more westerly, I would say. So, the piles have just gone blown in differently."

She says they normally experience a blizzard worse than other parts of the Portage area, seeing as the wind whips through with snow coming from across the lake.

Connery says the kids get a lot of fun out of it.

"I remember my kids, when we were young, it was interesting one year my son said, 'Don't you remember, mom, when we would be on the top of the banks and our legs would be close to the hydro wires, and you'd be upset?' which is what we have this year again."

The Connery's lived at Delta Beach as their permanent home since 2012.

"It's alway drifts a little," notes Connery. "This isn't unusual. It's just that we haven't had it for a few years. Last winter, I wore runners almost the whole year."

Connery says the neighbourhood is quite appreciative of the RM and Rick Henderson who ploughs their roads, noting it doesn't take long for their streets to be cleared after such a blizzard. She explains the 220 and 240 highways take a little longer.

"When the blizzard is happening, it's just a plain white out here," continues Connery. "Just total whiteout -- total whiteout. You can't see front, you can't see back. The fishing shacks that you can see out front on the lake, you can't see those. That's kind of how you judge whether you're going outside or not."

She says it's been quite the year.

"But you know, at the same time, you just take it if you want to live at the lake," says Connery. "This is what's going to happen. You just have to be prepared that you could be snowed-in for a few days."

"Even the full year through 2021, we had more winds than what we've had lots of other years," continues Connery. "I don't know whether it would be record-breaking, but it's definitely as though you'd have a storm for a day, and then maybe not have one. Last week, Rick had been on the tractor five to six days in a row. He says only five days, but I'm sure it was six days, with the big tractor from the RM, trying to keep the road open. I don't remember him doing that last year, for sure. I'm trying to think whether this is his third or fourth year doing it. But it's definitely the first that I remember it being done that many times in a row."

Doug Ross was using his snowblower to make a trail from his driveway to his front door.

"As you can see, the snow is pretty high, and it's hard," says Ross. "We had deer walking down that hill there, and for a deer to walk down the face of a hill without sinking up to its belly, you can tell how hard the snow is. To get it out, I break it up with either a round mouth shovel or spade. My grain shovel is too light. It just would break. You break it up into small chunks and then blow the chunks out. You can't just blow it with one pass."

He laughs, noting it's good exercise.

"I could go to the gym, but this is way nicer," adds Ross. "It took me two days to do the driveway, and not a great job, but at least I can get my truck in. Then we've got people coming to the Delta Beach Association. We're having a poker derby on the weekend, so I have family coming out. We want to make sure they can at least get in the cottage."

"We've got COVID, and then there are the protests going on everywhere," continues Ross. "And now there's, sadly, the war in Ukraine. So, it's a tough time. I can keep myself busy. I don't worry as much just shovelling snow. It's pretty simple thing to do."