[Jaybee]

Should be a variety of used large Surly’s or Salsas in your neck of the woods. The Farley line is solid too.

My specific advice would be to go with 150mm front spacing, 197 rear, as this is what the industry seems to have setttled on.
My Salsa is 177 rear and it’s a bit of a pain to find aftermarket wheels.

Depends on your trails, but may want to think about a Bluto or Mastodon fork.

Snow, like trails, is highly regional. Ask around in your area to see what width tires and tread patterns are the ticket for your specific conditions. If you are going to be almost exclusively on groomed tracks, 27.5x4” is the way to go, IME

If you haven’t figured out tubeless, figure it out. Fat tires are 100% better without tubes.