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Ah, despite the plank sometimes in one's own eye... (whether vs weather) Sorry. Looking forward to hiking season, and looking for lists - or even redlining. :)

There's still a foot-plus of snow on the trail. It's packed down, of course. Ledges are partially exposed. There's plenty of opportunity to get your shoes wet and muddy on the way in. Bring microspikes.

I also told Julian Assange. But I guess we'll find out if there's a leak when get up there. And the dadjokes keep coming. :)

Heard from TJsName that it was open last April...

Anyone know if the Gray Knob water source is flowing/broken out? Wondering how much fuel to budget. (I know the caretaker tries to keep it open.)

Haha, you're right! Lesson learned: don't charge a hill with skate poles! They do bend. Meta lesson: it's darned hard to find shops that rent backcountry gear for people outside of one sigma.

Darn. And all along I thought my old kayak was the perfect boat. :) I guess it might not be the best platform for launching Tridents. Not wood base??? I skied on those as a kid (back in the 70s and 80s) and was hoping not to go back to scraping (or melting!) klister off. But this is an...

I can always buy cheap used equipment for the Sherbourne, so I'll drop that. But yeah, I see that the tradeoffs are heavier, fatter hourglass boards give more control while lighter straighter double camber skis are great for touring. I'd rather err on the side of lighter with more glide. I...

I'm retiring my twenty-five year old telemark skis for skis that will handle New England backcountry trails a little better. I know I need: - metal edges - waxless base - decent control - warm boots I'm unsure about camber. My past experience was that double camber == bad turning. But...

I wonder if the OP is talking about Polartec Windbloc fleece? That stuff wasn't bad for standing around. It was windproof and relatively warm. But it wasn't breathable at all. A one mile run at 20F would leave me soaked. I still have 200wt (LL Bean) and 300wt (TNF) Polartec that are pretty...

I found the same thing. The place I rented from last weekend had really tall poles (skate poles, maybe) and one bent at about 30 degrees on me while I was charging a hill. I've been resisting, since I had myself down to just one pair of tele skis, but next time I think I'm going to have to buy...

Oh, cool! Thanks for the invite!

For posterity, here's my update: * REI Reading - doesn't rent XC (anymore) * Ski and Sport shack Wakefield (no XC rentals) * EMS Nashua - no ski rentals * every small shop in Nashua - no XC rentals (plus all the salespeople said go to a resort) * Plymouth Ski and Sports - does have XC rentals...

Thanks Tim... We're headed to the Flat Mountain Pond Loop for Sunday. I'll try Rhino Bike Works, fingers crossed, as well as the Peterborough EMS. Waterville Valley was my first thought too, but it's sort of an inconvenient drive. Are you in that area? If I strike out, can I PM you if...

Anyone know of a shop that rents nordic skis and boots in the corridor between Nashua and Plymouth (including Manchester and Concord)? Ideally it'd have size 13 boots too, but I'm coming up dry with just about anything. Here's what I've found: * REI Reading - doesn't rent XC (anymore) * Ski...

I hope someone with personal experience can answer this, but... 1) People I've talked to say that Arcteryx gear is well made, very durable for the weight, and they'll repair it for the cost of mailing. 2) I bought an EMS Goretex jacket in 1989 for about $200. Adjusted for inflation that's...

+1 for LL Bean, I had one of their GoreTex parkas with zip in fleece, it was cut OK for me (sleeves could have been longer), VERY durable, and relatively inexpensive. It was a bit heavy and bulky though.

If you can afford it, or find them on sale, the Arcteryx Theta AR looks prefect. It's cut very long (33 inches) and weighs less than a pound. I'm not sure how well they pack, but I'll check if REI has them the next time I'm nearby. There's also the Marmot PreCip Jacket that comes in size tall...

In my case, I'm looking for a cold weather shell. I have an ultralight (and an umbrella :) ) for the warm seasons. But that's a good point. The Rainwall might not stand up to overnights in the winter. :(

I visited an EMS and an REI store. Here's what I've found so far - stores generally don't carry tall sizes (surprise, surprise!). A clerk at REI pointed out that the REI Rainwall Jacket and Pants are available in tall sizes on their website. I spent about half an hour trying on the various...