(Part 2) Best winter sports books according to redditors

Honestly... I'd think twice about combing a first winter High Peak ascent with a first winter overnight. Either one of those alone is a task demanding substantial prep work on your part to ensure that you undertake it safely. To try to combine the two does raise the likelihood that you end up biting off more than you can chew. I think you'd be well advised to pick one of those goals (either a day hike up a High Peak in winter, or a winter overnight) and focus solely on that specific goal.

FWIW: I'm a Winter 46er, and I also have substantial cold weather camping and backpacking experience. I only overnighted in the backcountry for 1 of the High Peaks in winter (Marcy) while working towards the goal of becoming a Winter 46er- the 45 other peaks I climbed as day trips. Winter camping especially just demands so much added time and attention for even the simplest of camp chores that the advantages of being located closer to the peaks are largely negated by the added time and effort it takes just to get out of camp in the morning. I found that with alpine starts (3-4 AM) for day hike attempts at winter summits, I was usually passing overnight groups while they were still in camp getting ready for the day, and often beat overnight groups to the summits by a fair margin. Granted, they had less distance to hike at the end of the day to get back to camp (vs my hike back to the trailhead), but again, evening chores in camp are no easy task in winter either. When you're tired and exhausted from a tough ascent, the prospect of having to spend 2 more hours in the cold and dark and wet cooking dinner and melting snow for drinking water isn't particularly appealing.

I'll also ditto /u/OCMule's books suggestion. While much of what Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills covers is honestly overkill for winter hiking and camping even in the High Peaks, the first few chapters are pretty much the bible of general winter hiking and camping skills and equipment.

The National Outdoor Leadership School also publishes a really good book on the subject of winter camping that will give you far more (and better) info than you could hope to gain through posts on reddit.

I'd also strongly recommend obtaining a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification prior to your trip if you don't already have one. Absolutely 100% essential skills for winter backpacking or winter day hikes in the High Peaks are knowledge of how to identify early signs/symptoms of cold weather injuries (hypothermia, frost bite) and how to respond accordingly. WFA certifications can usually be obtained in a single weekend. Courses are offered throughout the year through organizations like the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

I wrote a post with some general information on climbing High Peaks in winter recently that you may also find helpful.

One other quick comment concerning stoves since you ask about them specifically: White gas stoves are the gold standard of reliability for cold weather camping. I'm a big fan of the MSR Dragonfly, as it allows you to easily simmer (something that not all white gas stoves are very good at).

I had this same problem and it nearly ruined skiing for me but you can break through. It is probably you're in the back seat and you aren't really making turns but more "skidding" to burn off speed, jerking the leg with your calves to turn the ski instead of letting it do the work. Bend you knee more, really feel your shin bone on the boot so you know you're forward.

Also this book which I got used for $4 with shipping is a great resource for a self taught skier who never had lessons and has a ton of bad habits (me and you probably).

Quite close to you: Bells Canyon at least, the lower part of the trail near the reservoir. It's rare that there's so much snow in the valley to make that area dangerous. A bit farther away, Bonneville shoreline trail near Red Butte Garden is pretty nice when the LCC/BCC trails are covered in snow.

Otherwise, I'd suggest investing in a pair of used snow shoes or "golf course" cross-country skis. With an investment of <$100, you can ski safely on terrain with basically zero avalanche risk. Some of the better ones are Lambs Canyon, lower Neffs Canyon, and Guardsman Pass. For these options, I recommend the book "Wasatch Winter Trails" by John Veranth.

http://www.amazon.com/Wasatch-Winter-Trails-John-Veranth/dp/0874806291

For any of the incredible BCC/LCC hikes on more difficult terrain, you want to look into snowshoes, telemark or alpine touring gear, an emergency backpack with avalanche gear, and (most importantly) competent friends willing to dig you out in case of avalanche. That requires a significant investment of money, and (unless you already ski) time learning to ski the backcountry. For this, I recommend getting secondhand tele gear (it's so much cheaper than AT, and more fun too), and taking an backcountry/avalanche course in one of the resorts. And buy the seminal Hanscom-Kellner book, "Wasatch Tours":

http://www.amazon.com/Wasatch-Tours-The-Northern-Volume/dp/1884744036

I recognized this as I was into the early days of freestyle skiing when it was still known as "Hot Dogging". The skis were longer and unshaped, mogul technique hadn't been perfected and the idea was just to be able to make it down the moguls as fast as possible.

This book by Bob "Boogie" Mann was the definitive intro to the sport for many people.

Jared Hargrave's https://smile.amazon.com/Backcountry-Ski-Snowboard-Routes-Utah/dp/1594858314/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=backcountry+skiing+utah&qid=1555543402&s=gateway&sr=8-2 and Tyson Bradley's https://smile.amazon.com/Backcountry-Skiing-Utah-Guide-States/dp/0762787546/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=backcountry+skiing+utah&qid=1555543402&s=gateway&sr=8-1 are both pretty decent. There's also the "Wasatch Tours" volumes, not sure which volume concerns northern Utah but I'm sure that one does.

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Personally I'd start with Hargrave's book. There is also of course McLean's famous "Chuting Gallery" but that concerns almost exclusively Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.

Allen and Mike's really cool backcountry ski book
or their avalanche book or their telemark book.

These things are seriously great reads.

https://www.amazon.com/Miles-South-Lake-Tahoe-Hikes/dp/1494309491/ref=pd_sim_14_3

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Trails-Tahoe-Must-Do-Everyone/dp/0899977774/ref=pd_cp_14_4

https://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-Skiing-Snowboarding-Lake-Tahoe/dp/0615280633

https://www.mountainproject.com/books/105798291

There are more. Do a Google search 'Books on Lake Tahoe' and 'Tahoe Trail Books' and 'Sierra Nevada...'