Our x country ski season is also mostly January and February. We can drive up to NH or Vermont and maybe see snow in Dec. And even in Jan and Feb., there is not much local skiing... we drive about an hour to a really good x country place that has snow when we have green grass. There is a local place which is good after a storm, but after all of the yahoos come here from the city, the trails are trashed. Have you thought of snow shoeing? That I can do out of my door.
I ride through the first week in December usually. In November, I transition by including a lot of hiking with some riding, yoga and core work. I am thinking of joining some kind of group exercise place for the winter, maybe personal training and spin Dec- March. I have a trainer, but I rarely work that hard on it. It's just boring, but I I love the freedom of having a mini gym in my home and not having to go to a gym at 5 AM.