If you are gunna deal with snow i would stay in the 1/10th area or you won't be able to move in snow. With traxxas i always recommend going brushless to save money in the long run only because there is the training mode. The brushed trucks are totally fine but most end up wanting more speed before too long. But its all about preference. If you aren't really into speed and your kid is young get him a little brushed truck and when you get bored of it get yourself something fast, when he gets bored of the brushed truck sell it and get a second brushless. As for TSM it's ok but don't get too reliant on it. Good drivers tend to get annoyed with traction control because it starts getting in the way so i don't advise over using it when learning so as not to develop lazy habits. It's kinda like how people that learn to drive with a manual transmission tend to be better drivers and have less accidents than those that learned on a automatic. Welcome back, we've been expecting you