Hi everyone,

I am looking to do one of the relatively moderate hikes in the Great Range from the Keene Valley trailhead, such as Sawteeth (possibly with Pyramid Peak if time permits). I was considering renting some AT or regular XC skis for the approach to lower Ausable Lake, and am looking for some advice on whether this is really worth it. Specifically, what I'd like to know is 1) would you recommend AT or regular cross-country, 2) is it steep enough that skins are required, 3) is it steep enough so that at least we'd have a nice ride back. Basically want to know if it's worth out shelling 30 bucks a person on the rental or just forget about it and go with snowshoes. To clarify - we are NOT experienced in either backcountry or XC skiing.

Thanks in advance for any advice.