I will assume by "this area" you mean around Mt. W. There are a few places worth checking. The first is "International Mountain Equipment (IME)" in N. Conway. There you will find a consignment shop which is quite useful and I have bought from. They do have a rental program so you can rent the gear you need for as long as you need and not have to worry about the cost of buying it if you think you will only use it once or twice in your life. Another thing good with rental is you can see if this is something you want to invest in more before getting stuck with a bunch of stuff you don't want/need. "Eastern Mountain Sports" across the street (for now before is moves to Settlers Crossing) in N. Conway is a good place that has good sales and a climbing school that sells their old stuff from time to time. They also have a climbing school where you can get a guide up the mountain as well as some of the equipment you might need. Best part is, they offer overnights on the summit in the winter. Another place to check out is "Ragged Mountain Equipment" up the street in Intervale. They have a bargain basement that has a bunch of last year gear and some used products. Another place is "Moriah Sports" in Gorham, NH. They have a selection of used gear. I picked up snowshoes used once for a real good deal there. Although it should be noted that the name has changed I believe so they may not do used equipment any longer. You might want to call first. On the web, http://www.freecycle.org/ is a site where stuff can be exchanged so you can search for a group near you. There is one for Mt. W. that has a pretty good network. There is always http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html which, I have found is kind of limited in the N. Country but if you search the Boston area, you will find weekend winter warriors (tri-dubs) that hiked the mountain once without reading a forecast, had a bad experience and are now selling all their goods. I have gotten deals via this route. The last is ebay or just online stores. There are sells from time to time that make buying new stuff as cheap as used stuff. EMS and REI are notorious for their huge sales.
Hope this helps you. And remember, everything in winter is just a tool, use your judgement before putting your life (or a rescuers) in danger just because you feel well equiped.
Ryan Knapp
Staff Meteorologist/Night Observer, KMWN (Mt Washington Obs., NH)
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