I'll have to look for the storm summary map, but it was a big upper level low that brought widespread snow everywhere and then transitioned to a monster upslope event I think.
@klw was living up in the Northeast Kingdom I think at the time, I remember he had like 14" or something? Peacham maybe? Funny how we remember that stuff, ha. Couldn't tell you anything else about him except I remember how much he got in a snowstorm a decade ago . I just seem to remember the set-up went from widespread heavy precipitation across the northern third of NNE as something traversed across, then the backside NW flow really added it up from the Spine back towards BTV.
It had to be a frigid air mass though to get 5.5" at BTV this time of year.