We have friends, who have sons and daughters with good degrees who got caught up into the snows you described, and they became and still are basically ski bums in their late 30’s to early 40’s.
They have a lot of snow stories like yours.
Sorry about the typos, anyway I was doing this work there around 1990, there were times when I had to travel across the highest part of the CA side of Heavenly over to the Nevada side, in pitch black darkness, sometimes in near whiteout conditions or through mounds of man made snow from the water cannons and compressed air on towers on the main slopes, all on a snowmachine.
I have yet to bite the snowmachine bug but I will before next winter, because I do love a moon filled arctic night, cold and crisp, no lights from civilization, and all the glory of the Northern Lights overhead. If I buy a sled I’ll probably get a Yamaha as I have great credt with the local Yamaha dealer, thats where I bought my 1300 V-Star Tourer from.