I'm hopefully moving to Vermont next year and am trying to figure out what boots I should purchase. I am hoping to use them for several things:

1. I am going to be doing a lot of winter hiking
2. Hopefully winter mountaineering (but that will be vt/nh mountains )
3. I'm going to start ice climbing.
4. Day-use when its very cold
5. Snowshoeing

Unfortunately my ole scarpas don't really fit the bill for any of these except perhaps the fourth. Do you guys have any recommendations?

Koflachs
http://www.backcountry.com/koflach-arct ... erralID=NA
Will be warm

Or these
http://www.backcountry.com/la-sportiva- ... od=LSP0029

Ditto on the La Sportivas -- rarely cold enough in VT to warrant Koflachs. Better for hiking, ice climbing, snowshoeing, etc. Only time they might fall short is in the dead of winter in the Whites on multiple day trips.

Get some sort of insulated single boot like the Nepal Evo. Those fit a lot of people well, so start there. But, fit trumps all, so go to a proper climbing store (there are plenty in VT/NH) and try them on with a good bootfitter.

Scarpa, Kayland, Mammut, and others make good boots. LaSportiva has a huge lineup with lots of choices, as do most of the aforementioned makes.

Look for a rigid or nearly-rigid sole with welts front and rear for attaching crampons. Then try them all on until you can lace them comfortably and hike without your heel sliding up and down. That's common with poor-fitting climbing boots, and will blister like mad.

Oh yeah, like the others said - don't get double plastics. Too many people do in the NE because they want to do Washington someday.

If the weekend you're doing Washinton is really so frickin' cold that singles won't do, rent Invernos for that trip, and don't beat your feet up for the other 99% of the time.