Why won't my Minolta XG-A work around snow?

I have a Minolta XG-A SLR camera that works perfectly indoors, but when I go outside, I press the operating button and nothing happens. I can't be completely sure If it's the cold or the light reflecting off of the snow, but the camera is supposed to work in temperatures down to 0*, so I'm guessing it's the latter. Is there some feature that keeps it from firing when there's too much light? I am an inexperienced photographer, so I apologise if this is an obvious question. Any help is greatly appreciated!
~Sam~

THe XG-A will not be firing when the required shutter speed is not in the range shutter has - meaning the automatic blocks when there is too much or to little light. When shooting in areas with snow this can happen easily - especially on sunny days and when you are shooting ISO 400 film.
Try using the smallest aperture (which is most likely 22 - depending on the lens you use) You set it on the lens. THe higher the number - the less light can pass.
Maybe you need to use film with lower light sensitivity when there is snow (ISO 100 or ISO 200).

There is a good explanation in the manual for the camera - which you can find here to download if you don't have one.
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/minolta.htm
Manuals are free to download but Mr. Butkus would appreciate a small (very small) donation to keep his excellent site running.

The shutter will not fire if the recommended shutter speed is greater than the top speed of the camera.

Reduce the aperture (f-stop), use a slower film, or use a neutral density filter.

HTH
V