I have held off booking a VT trip so far. Don't want to pay big bucks for the family and have 01-02 type conditions. (I have the epic pass for a west coast trip so that helps)
This is a new wildcards as well last couple of winters-makes alot of analogs from colder periods not as reliable. I also heard a rule of thumb that when the SST's are above normal off the east coast, "hit and hold" cold is less likely.
The warning signs were there. The intial runs in late Nov were great but then future runs started showing the blocking too far south and linking up with the SE ridge at times. (which is exactly what happened in the end)