I assume Swede doesn't wear a helmet skiing or thinks avy airbags or avy gear is also useless. Things are grey, not binary black or white.
Let's get back to reality; if they offer you AWD you're not going to say, nah it's useless, give me the 2wd vehicle. THe AWD has some value...
A snow area rental WILL have an option for you for an AWD with 3PMSF tires. The issue is they're going to charge you an exorbitant price for it, up to double your original rental.
You probably would have a lower bill by driving to a tire shop and buying snow tires the day of rental over the upcharge they initially will present to you. This is because typically they are maximizing profit by preying on fear. Especially on families with a mother and small child, they will guilt the family into taking this "safer" choice. If you have the time and confidence, you could've negotiated on this. If you aren't coming to the counter as a family, they often won't even offer because they recognize it's a waste of time. Because some pay it, it's a market price and what the market will bear so they'll save that vehicle to snag someone else.
The reason for the tire deal is a car rental isn't in the business of maintaining or preparing cars. They get a fleet from the manufacturer, and the tires that come are the OEM tires from the manufacturer.
Some are OK, but some are marginal. The reason some are marginal is the purpose of an OEM set of tires is to sell the vehicle and keep prices low. Vehicle is often testdriven for purchase only good weather, and buyers look for sports ability and NVH. These are the things that contradict with winter tires. By the time the vehicle is done with it's original set of tires, or even the 1st major service the vehicle goes to Auction and not in the rental fleet anymore.
Hey, I just want to give a realistic view on this. I live in Scandinavia and drive 3-4 months/year on winter roads. And 4x4 or AWD w/o winter tires isn’t really an advantage. Braking and handling en route compared to a 2WD with the same wrong tires is the same. People get lured into thinking a 4x4 with all seasons is a decent winter vehicle. It is not. For the record, I use a helmet. Back protector too. Personally I would think twice before heading out on a lengthier road trip on winter roads if my vehicle did not have winter tires — 4x4 or 2WD, because I have lots of winter driving experience.