Reddit reviews NOLS Winter Camping (NOLS Library)

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).