Some of it connected. Most of it didn't. Giles was on guard now, focusing his efforts on not getting hit. He let himself be driven back but tried to steer things so that they ended up off the clear path again, trusting that Buffy wasn't paying close enough attention to anything about her surroundings other than "away from the house".

If at any point they end up on the snow again, he sacrifices his guard for a second or two in order to turn the snow to ice again.