Having grown up in that area of NC and visited my family there many, many, many times since, I feel some level of obligation to state the obvious - just take vacation when it snows, because it'll only cost you a day or two once every few years. As others have said, it's just as likely that a lack of snow driving experience was the culprit. That's no knock against you - I have no idea what I'm doing either, and there's no way I could ever have as much experience as people who've been driving in it every winter for years. I just try not to drive unless I have to, or as was the case when I was on a business trip to Lake Tahoe last winter, let a co-worker from Ohio do it.

Maybe saying that means I need to turn in my man card, but until I find enormous amounts of free time, plentiful snow, and a large open parking lot (none of which occur naturally in my area) to practice, I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.