Every year, it's a continual battle against nature to keep the dome entrance clear of drifts. During the summer season, the ice is maintained with a gentle slope on either side of the entrance. However, such maintenance is work intensive and impractical during the winter months. Only a few weeks after station close, the drift is already six feet high. By the end of the winter, the cornices atop the drift loom nearly 20 feet overhead.

Judging from the angle of the shadows, it must have been about 8am when I took this photo.