I just got a set of General Altimax studded snows and they are awesome in the snow. The all season Michelins are crap in the snow and ice here.

This is what a good set of snow tires can do for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSZLSfBDyhs

Arent the cheapest of studded tires better than any of the best/expensive winter tires anyway? Not to mention 4-season tires, which are illegal here for winterdriving...

Nothing like genuine winter tires. I have a quartet of Gislaveds on steel rims for the S90 and can swap them over in about 40 minutes. The difference is startling. "All Season" tires really should be labelled "Three Season".

Yup! "4 season tires", except if there's snow and ice. :-)

Studded tires seemed to go out of vogue around Boston,
and I thought they were banned here, but it turns out they're OK
until April 30th,

40 minutes? I see where Harbor freight is peddling their nifty
electric 1/2" drive impact wrench for $43 down from $60
It really speeds up tire swaps. Get the Stanley impact sockets
at Walmart for about $20.

Yep, 40 minutes...

Get snow tires from under 7 months' worth of stuff in corner of garage; remove from dust bags; check/adjust pressures; note where they were mounted last year and rotate to different wheels; get floor jack and start jacking one corner; remove alloy wheel c/w summer tire, using X-type lugnut spinner; (I have air tools but don't believe in using an impact wrench on lugnuts, although the electric ones are probably too low-power to be harmful); mount snow tire and steel wheel; repeat 3 more times, but after two, remember that Gislaveds are unidirectional, and remove the one that's on the wrong hub. Senior moment. Finish mounting and hand torquing. Bag up and store away summer wheels/tires and chrome lugnuts; pile on top the seven months' worth of stuff - no room for it anywhere else. Job complete.

40 minutes.

You nailed it.