Do I need AWD in Bozeman/Big Sky?

[TUowl06]

As someone who's lived in a "snowy" place, Northern Pennsylvania, winter is a different animal out here and it's not because of the amount of snow we get in the Bozeman area. It's how the handle the snow. In the Northeast you could get a foot of snow and the roads are cleared within a few hours. Out here, an inch of snow can turn the roads into a nightmare because they don't use salt or brine. Also, plows out here are a joke. All they do is smooth over the snow and drop rocks that provide little, if any traction. As a result, everything turns into packed snow and ice which is extremely dangerous to drive on. IMO, studded tires are way more useful than 4x4 or AWD here. However, you're still at the mercy of other drives who are sliding all over the place. Best solution is to get a winter beater....

[Reziac]

Salt or brine doesn't always clear the roads. In very cold temps, it melts the surface just enough to create a sheet of glass, and driving conditions are worse than before. Gravel isn't temperature-disabled; it still works when temps are below the freezing point of salt water.

Second, salt eats hell out of cars. Have you noticed that most of the older vehicles in Montana are NOT rusted out all around the frame and fenders?