Most winter recreationists are guilty of a snow dance or two when conditions look lean in December. With religious-like fervor, skiers and snowboarders pray to the Snow Gods, and shake their fists at the fickle deities during sparse seasons like the 2011-12 winter. Snow prediction is a tricky and much sought-after skill, but giving credence to publications like the Farmers’ Almanac, which just published its most recent forecast last week predicting a mild winter in the West, and even the Climate Prediction Center’s long-range climate outlook can be just as much a leap of faith as dancing widdershins in the …