Walked Le Puy to SJPdP from April 3 to May 9 this year. It was AMAZING. I didn't use a guide, but had the Wise Pilgrim Via Podiensis App, AllTrails for nav, and discovered a great network early on "Les Haltes vers Compostelle"
https://www.haltesverscompostelle.eu/ . They publish a one page pamphlet with their members' info. It was always my first go-to, because with one exception, the gites were great. I also found a two-page list of gites that was posted in several gites along the way, finally someone gave me their copy of the Michelin guide to the Podiensis, and with all the discussion on the Chemin regarding distance, the Michelin seemed to have the most accurate distances. Many people used Gronze, but I had no problem finding gites with the resources I already had. I usually booked the night before or the day of, and only twice was told they were full.
I met some unilingual anglophones, and those with outgoing personalities and a "CAN DO" linguistic attitude did not seem to lack for company. Personally, I would not have found the experience as enriching as I did without a decent ability in French. There were some who made little effort to speak the language, and I felt they ended up asking a lot from their hosts (some asking for booking help while dinner prep was underway). As for snow - in April, it's not uncommon on the Aubrac plateau. We missed it by a few days, and some who left the week after us had to use transport to get around the plateau. I trained in snow so was prepared for it, and personally would have preferred it to the mud - doesn't stick to the shoes. . .
Most gites on the Podiensis are open Apr-Oct.
Bon Chemin