I'm north of you, in the Upper Peninsula. Plenty fo snow and slush up here to ride through. I do find that it helps to get some of the weight off of the front wheel, especially when going downhill in snow and/or slush. last winter I built up my winter bike -- a 26er -- using a 29er fork and a headset made to add an extra 5mm of stack height. My purpose was to raise the front-end, slacken out the head angle, and shift my weight back a bit. This year, I plan to go up one frame size in order to reduce the seat-to-bar drop.
Good on you, btw, for biking all winter long. Isn't it cool to be out riding in the snow? Some days, when conditions are right, winter riding is just fantastic.
Do you run studs on either of your bikes? Maybe you don't get enough ice down there to make studs worth the bother.