.....And the answer is......

The answer to yesterday's small quiz was:

SNOW BAR RAIL SYSTEM

(Congratulations Andrew from NSW for getting this right!)

In a location prone to heavy snow, like Niigata where M House is, snow accumulate on the roof can slide off in large quantity.

This can cause damage to property (such as car parked below the eaves) or even people who happen to stand below when snow slide happens.

It is far safer to keep the snow on the roof, and clean it off when weather permits.

heavy snow at Niigata - to the right in the background, snow slide is caught in action on the photo

after heavy snow in Niigata, the amount of snow accumulated on the roof can be quite substantial. It is better to go clean off the snow when weather permits, and people are prepared

snow bar in action....(best photo I could find...). Amazing how these thin bars can hold so much snow! We were concerned about how the bars will look, but safety comes first!