Ag...been cold & rainy, even snow!! As for the Almanac, I don't pay much attention to it because the chinooks can change things 20 deg. in an hour. El nino is supposed to make it a mild winter from what I hear.
Early, check the APOS site, I really don't know any outfitters, sorry. You also might check out the Alberta Outdoorsman site, alot of those guy's know local outfitters.