I was wrong on both counts.
Actually, the ATV left some very nice ruts for sleds to follow on our easier front hill. I was curious as to how that hill was changed due to the excavation there this summer. Unfortunately, the changes were minimal, and we still find ourselves often headed off the cleared area and into the forest.
As for the faster back hill, we will need more snow before that becomes really practical for us to use. When the snow was waist deep last year, we didn't realize just how many small bushes we were riding over. With less than a foot of snow, that brush is quite a bit harder to ignore--not impossible, just harder.
It was a good day for sledding.