Hook and Bullet Club

by Nick Wognum

One of the most popular products for removing snow from your roof is the Roof Razor which was invented right here in Ely.

“The Original MinnSNOWta Roof Razor Roof Rake was invented by a couple of Minnesotans in 1997 to deal with this exact problem. Len and Pat Kataskus of Ely Minnesota weren’t impressed with the options available for roof snow removal -- so they created their own. The end result was an industrial-strength/commercial-quality snow remover that held up to even the heaviest Northern Minnesota blizzards and was more efficient.”

That’s from the roofrazor.com website as the company was sold to a family in Forest Lake, MN.

The Roof Razor is the perfect tool at Camp Cholesterol to remove snow from the 70+ year old roof.

Instead of climbing up on the roof you stand on the ground and push the razor up the roof. The snow slides down the chute and onto the ground.

There’s always a few times where you get some snow coming back at your face but it beats climbing up and falling off the roof.

I’ve used the Roof Razor at home as well but there is one big advantage at the shack - no power lines. If you are using a Roof Razor and you’re not in the woods, please keep an eye out for power lines.

You can pick up a Roof Razor at the local hardware store. There’s a couple different sizes and you may need to buy an extra pole if you need to reach higher on a roof.

Now if I was smart I would’ve fired up the sauna before starting the roof cleaning process. But I didn’t, so when I got done it was time to hop back on the sled and ride home.

The sun was setting and the trails were still in good shape, even at the end of beautiful Saturday.