Reddit mentions of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

You’re getting a lot of mixed responses here, and that’s because it all depends on the weather. I have enjoyed Franconia ridge in good weather with just winter hiking boots and Microspikes, and I’ve also done the ridge in mountaineering boots and crampons with an ice axe in horrible weather (-40 windchill, 60-80 mph sustained wind speeds, 100mph gusts, total whiteout).
It depends entirely on the conditions.
A 10-point strap-on crampon is perfect for the Whites. A 12-point is overkill for everything but Huntington Ravine.
As for boots - unfortunately yours are no good for winter. They’re too short and lack insulation. There are lots of options though! I used to think that I needed way more serious gear for winter hiking. My first boots for the Whites were plastic double boots. Total overkill. I saved up for a few years and bought leather mountaineering boots that were vastly more comfortable and agile (La Sportiva Nepal, Scarpa Mont Blanc, Lowa Weisshorn, etc). After tramping around the Whites in those for a few years, I finally downgraded to basic insulated hiking boots and have never been happier! Regular winter hiking boots like Vasque Snowburban or Solomon Toundra are excellent for everything in the Whites, except for the legit climbs where you’ll need something stiffer - climbs like Huntington and Tuckerman ravines, or other mountaineering routes like Crawford Notch stuff (Willy’s Slide, Shoestring Gully, Hitchcock Gully, etc.)
Going deeper into mountaineering obviously means ice axe and mountaineering boots - so the question is how far are you going to take it? Get some Microspikes, insulated hiking boots and trekking poles and you’re good for all hiking trails including Mt Washington and Franconia ridge. Get insulated mountaineering boots, an ice axe, and 10 or 12 point crampons and you can do them in the worst conditions and, with a little bit of rope skills, start tackling some mountaineering routes in the area.
Read Freedom of the Hills and have fun!
(For context, I own several ice axes and ice tools, 3 pair of crampons, 4 different boots, and have hiked or climbed most of the fun stuff in the Whites + a handful of 14’ers. Sorry for all the rambling, hope this is helpful!)