Snow-free lawns

Delightfully warm weather this weekend has begun to melt the piles of ice and snow that have been accumulating since December. I dug a few paths, in the front and back yards, to hasten melting, to make it easier to check on signs of crocus growth (nothing so far), and just to interrupt the monotony and tyranny of all the grey and white.  The outdoor exercise felt good. The bits of snow in the paths quickly melted, and I was tempted, yesterday, to go back out and widen the paths. Then I thought: what if I shoveled off all the snow? What if I kept our yard snow-free all winter? Is that really all that different from keeping the lawn cropped down to golf-course height? After all, if neighbors get ticketed for letting their weeds (I mean, their native coverings) grow higher than 10 inches, why is it okay for snow to be piled eight feet, or higher? Aside from the extra effort, there is also the tricky matter of where to put all that snow. For years I've wondered why someone doesn't invent a "snow-mower" that melts the snow; perhaps a tube could route the water down the drain. That's what I'd need.