Yea, Mudmucker, I'm a native New Englander, so I understand the "complaining" psyche. But, I still am sick of it. I think it's more the reaction I get when I say I love the snow, for the very reason you stated... the season is so short here and I get to ski for about 5-8 weeks.
I guess I also have the perspective of someone who has lived in 2 other places where there was no winter. Believe me, endless summer does not solve all of one's problems, as most New Englanders believe.
All of this talk of back country skis is making me want to get some different skis! I ski at groomed areas, but sometimes I do go out in conservation land. While my skis have edges, they are pretty skinny and I don't find it that fun to ski in the woods. DH has the back country boots, but I still have the softer Rossignol ones, because when I tried the bc ones, my feet just got chopped up... serious blisters, cuts, and bloody feet. I really tried to make them work, but I took them back to REI.
This might start to be like cycling; how many pairs of skis can I have?