I went down a couple weeks ago riding in the snow. I had just started the ride and I was following my own tracks from the day before but the temps had warmed up just enough to start the snow melting so it was wetter than the day before and there was a patch of ice underneath the snow. The bike started to go out from under me but I "think" what kept me from getting hurt was that instead of trying to catch myself I tried to ride out of the slide and in so doing I basically rode the bike to the ground keeping my arms and legs tucked in. The bars and LH pedal took the initial impact plus I slid in at a shallow angle. The other thing that helped was that I had multiple layers of clothing on which absorbed some of the impact as did my helmet. I was wet and muddy but finished the ride. I was a little sore for a couple days but that was it. It was probably dumb luck that kept me from getting hurt more than anything but it definitely won't deter me from riding in the snow, if you have the right clothing, bike and tires there's nothing quite like it.
__________________
".....distasteful and easily triggered."