We paid our shovel/snowscoop dues in Ft. Kent, avg winter 130"+. (And again for 2008-09 and 09-10 when our Craftsman Trac-26's power transfer mechanism wore out - would travel backwards but not forwards. Took it apart, found the ruined parts, unable to find anyone that made them 25+ years after My dad had bought the critter.)
I siphon as much as possible back into the gas can, then run the blower dry. Next fall, gas it up, hit the primer 3X and it usually fires up on the 2nd-3rd pull. (Only 10 yr old, though.) Has cord for electric start but I've never had to use it. The Craftsman wouldn't pull-start when much under 20°.