GThomas

I went there a year ago, back in November and it was a really cool area. I don't rock climb so I cant help you out there, but there are loads of really cool hikes. Some places can get kind of crowded and are a little touristy, but if you do some of the more demanding hikes you wont have that problem. Watch out for snakes, funnel webs, and Bull ants (also called jack jumpers). On my hikes we ran into numerous brown snakes (2nd most venomous snake in the world). Sydney funnel webs (the most venomous spider in the world) are also all over that area. There are a couple places where you will run into eastern gray kangaroos, which is always cool. Its a beautiful place, you will definitely have fun.

No I couldnt find any side zip fleece pants, if you know of any please point me in that direction. thanks

I posted on this forum because I didn't know there was another forum focused on the North East. I tried joining summit post but couldn't sign up because I never received any activation emails. Luckily there were some knowledgeable people here that were able to help me out. I'll check out those other forums though, Thanks.

Alright so I have taken everything you guys have said into consideration and this is a list of what I was thinking. Please critique this list. I just wanted to run it by some more knowledgeable people before dropping a bunch of cash. Base layer (Top and bottom): Patagonia Capilene 3 or 4 (I'm not sure how thick my base needs to be) Over base layer: Light weight mountain Design fleece half zip and REI fleece pants Insulation layer: North Face Denali 300 weight fleece (I already own this so if this is sufficient that would be nice. If not I can pick up a primaloft sweater.) Shell layer: Goretex jacket and pants Over layer (puffy): Patagonia DAS parka Also how serious of a balaclava should I get? Should I get something like the Talus coldavenger expedition balaclava, or something like the OR wind stopper Gorilla balaclava, or something really simple like the OR wind pro? I have a neoprene ski mask that I will also bring. Thanks again for all your help

As of now I'm just doing the 3 day course. If that goes well and I enjoy it as much as I think I will, then I will look into doing the range traverse. I also have family that live in northern Cal in the Grass Valley area, and I visit them every winter. So hopefully I can do some west coast climbing as well. Thanks for all the help, lots of good info. I appreciate it

I am well aware of the conditions on Mt. Washington. I live about an hour and a half away from the mountain. I'm actually doing a 3 day long mountaineering course on the mountain, so I will be with experienced guides/instructors. They gave me a gear list, but didn't give me any suggested brands, and the selection EMS and REI has in there stores is somewhat limited which is why I was looking for suggestions. Thanks for the help everyone

I have been hiking and climbing during the summer for a while now, and now I want to get into climbing in the winter. But I know nothing about winter clothing. I went down to my local Eastern Mountain Sports and they were no help. So I will be climbing Mt. Washington in January and need to pick up a few things, I'm hoping you guys can make some suggestions (links to suggested gear would be great). Insulation layer: 300 weight fleece, heavy weight soft shell, or primaloft sweater? Uninsulated waterproof/breathable shell, recommendations? Over it all ("puffy") jacket, recommendations? Thanks for your help. I am new to this forum so if I posted this in the wrong forum can a mod please move it to the correct one. Thanks