3-season tent for winter camping?

I have been using an MSR TwinPeaks no floor tent for the last two seasons in the White Mountains. I think it works great for below treeline conditions. It is no problem to stake it with snowshoes and tails from MSR shoes. I have used a NF frog-style tent that was a 3-plus season(no mesh on sides) before that but I save about 3 pounds with the TwinPeaks with better performance.

I’ve used three season tents extensively in winter BELOW tree line and have had no problems. A lot of it depends on pole design and how steep your walls are. Criss-crossed poles support the tent under snow loads and steep walls help shed the snow.

I almost forgot to answer the rest of the question… so here it is.

The tent I primarily use in winter is a Sierra Designs Meteor Light which at 6 pounds is not exactly light for a two-person tent. In winter though, the extra space is worth the weight. The SDML has a mesh inner roof which virtually eliminates all moisture issues. If it’s really windy, I pile snow around the perimeter of the tent to limit the air circulation inside.

I’ve had no problems with deep light snowfalls up to 12 inches. More of an issue with wet sticky snow since it doesn’t shed as well, but I’ve never woken up to a flattened tent.