After a bout of sciatica in my late 30's, I never again picked up a snow shovel. I bought a house where the wind swept the snow off the driveway, a 4wd truck, and let the neighbors complain about my un-shoveled sidewalk. Climbing is safer than shoveling snow, and a lot more fun.

Then in my late 40's, I moved to California - no snow! And the Sierra at my doorstep.

Hope your back gets better. You have many years of hard core backpacking and climbing left to enjoy.