As I remember it when I was at Brize in the 70s, when it snowed we had Sicards, which was basically a big brush with a cover over it which then sucked the snow up and it was blown out to one side, either left or right. They were towed by trucks, and you echeloned them across the runway, so the snow from the first blew in front of the second and it picked it up with it's own snow and blew that out in front of the next one. I think the maximum you could shift was about six inches, but you didn't wait till it got that deep before you started ploughing.
the other bit of kit we had was the MRD, which was a frame with two jet engines with a cabin between them, which mounted on the front of a fuel tanker. the hot air from the jet exhausts melted the snow and ice and blew it out of the way. mind you if the guy on the jets got a bit enthusiastic, you could end up going backwards.
then of course you had the ordinary plough blades which fitted onto the front of trucks or tankers when needed.
the result was an airfield that was open and useable all the time.
and the best thing, when the tea wagon came round with the hot chocolate with a tot of rum in it - never tasted anything as good.
of course in those days people were ready to get off their a***s rather than sit in a warm office coming up with excuses about why nothing was being done