Up here in the nowth we get snow then it warms enough to melt some then it freezes again in ice form. We had over 2 feet of ice under 1 foot of snow. Hitting it with a shovel was like hitting a brick wall. TBH the person that built the deck was an idiot. You have to beef them up for snowpack. At the time hubby was sick from cancer so we foolishly trusted our builder. Suing him? Not worth it. Word of mouth will sink him faster in a small town.