Dear cabin colleague dns
Even if you operated on board of a british flag carrier, it was a violation of the rules and plain stupid.
Its not enoug that the wing is clean underneath the snow. It has to be clean, without snow
These guys had also inspected the wing. They even decided to deice! They had some clear ice which was undetected and the rest is history. How do you think your groundengineer detects clear ice below snow?
ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas MD-81 OY-KHO Gottrra
The wings are big and full of different materials, systems, heatsources, some parts are cold, some heat up due to the warm fuel or systems like oilcoolers, fuelheaters, hydraulic lines etc. During the approach the leading edges will be heated up to prevent ice accumulation. They are still warm for a while after touchdown. So there are an awfull lot of factors affecting the state of the wing in precipitation. How can you be sure the whole wing is the same as the tiny part in front of your ladders. Nobody walks in the winter on the wing, because they are afraid its slippery and they might fall down because of ICE!
Britis flag carriers have to stick to the rules too.
You were just lucky. Next time talk to your cockpit if you see snow on the wing. Ask how much delay the de-icing will cause. If they say "zero, cause we dont have to" Raise your voice and be assertive.