Winter DayTrips
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Mount Washington – the highest peak in the Northeast. The mountain is known for its steep slopes, for its wild and barren uppermost reaches, and most of all for its severe weather . which can rival Everest's in its ferocity.
The mountain's summit is visited by a quarter-million people in summer, but its winter secrets are known only to a hardy few. You can join this special band through a Mount Washington Observatory Winter DayTrip, allowing a visit to the summit of Mount Washington it its most demanding, most alluring season.
A visit to the summit of Mount Washington in winter is not for everyone. Even with snow-tractor transportation, participants must be in good physical condition and good health – equipment malfunctions can happen, and participants need to be prepared in every way to hike to safety if the need arises. The mountain's weather and terrain show no respect for human plans or human wishes – very rugged weather can postpone, shorten, or cancel trips – or can turn a DayTrip into an unexpected overnight trip. As much as one might long for 100-mile views, more typical conditions find the upper slopes of the mountain in blowing snow and dense fog, reducing visibility to 100 feet or less. Even normal mid-winter conditions high on the peak – temperatures in the single numbers Fahrenheit, winds near 50 miles per hour – are patently hostile to human survival. Extreme conditions can find the temperature near 50 below, with winds 150 miles per hour or more.
Yet, for those who are drawn to this savage but beautiful place, a winter visit to Mount Washington is an undeniable attraction. The Mount Washington Observatory, which has operated a weather station and scientific research facility atop the mountain since 1932, has a long history of sharing its experiences with visitors, and through the Winter DayTrip program introduces fellow mountain and weather enthusiasts to Mount Washington in winter. Winter DayTrips include transportation up and down the mountain (typically via snow tractor), a guided tour of the weather station, and lunch while at the summit, as well as informal educational sessions from your Observatory guides throughout the Trip.
Schedule:
Mount Washington Winter Daytrips will be held on twelve dates in the winter of 2008 – all dates are on Mondays:
January 7 • January 14 • January 21 • January 28 • February 4 • February 11 • February 18 • February 25 • March 17 • March 24 • March 31 • April 7
Participants meet near the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road on Route 16 in Pinkham Notch, NH at 8:30 AM on the day of departure. Return to the base is scheduled for approximately 4:00 PM (later in March). Participants must be prepared for changes in the DayTrip's schedule caused by adverse weather or travel conditions or other factors. Participants must also be prepared for the possibility of unanticipated severe weather prolonging the trip, perhaps requiring an overnight on the mountain.
Preparation:
All DayTrip participants need to be in good health and good physical condition. Adverse weather, challenging travel conditions, or mechanical malfunction may require participants to hike to safety at times of high winds, cold temperatures, and poor visibility, on glare ice or through drifted snow. Foot travel in such conditions is very strenuous, and requires a high level of physical fitness. Participants need to be properly clothed (with insulating layers, wind-proof shells, and insulated boots) and otherwise equipped to maintain vital warmth in Mount Washington's usually frigid winter environment (please see the list of required clothing and equipment for all DayTrip registrants). DayTrip participants will be required to sign a release form before the DayTrip acknowledging the innate hazards of winter travel on Mount Washington.
Minimum age for DayTrip participation is 14. Participants age 14 to 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Registration:
Use the online registration form and health form to sign up for a DayTrip online – due to limited spaces (no more than 9 per trip), we recommend you provide an alternate date in case your first choice is full, OR call us at 1 800-706-0432 x 203 to check space availability and secure your space(s) before sending in your registration. You can also sign up via phone, via fax, or via mail, or in person at the Observatory's Weather Discovery Center at 2779 Main Street (Route 16 and Route 302), North Conway NH.
Fee:
The Observatory's Winter DayTrip program is open only to members of the Observatory. (Those individuals who are not yet members, but who are interested in participating in a Winter DayTrip, are welcome to become members, and to share in the benefits of Observatory membership. This can easily be done as part of the Winter DayTrip registration process.) The fee for the Mount Washington Winter DayTrip is $179 per person. The full payment is due as a deposit to secure a space on the DayTrip. $50 of the deposit is non-refundable if a reservation is cancelled with less than 14 days notice, and the Observatory is then not able to fill the vacated space from a waiting list.
Circumstances require a 6 person minimum number of participants for a Winter DayTrip to take place. If we do not reach that minimum by one week before the trip, we regret that the trip will be cancelled. We will contact those registered for any such trip at that time, and will offer the option of a full refund or re-scheduling to an available space in another trip. Thank you for your understanding.
The Observatory appreciates the assistance of Mount Washington State Park and the Mount Washington Auto Road in the operation of the Observatory's Mount Washington Winter Daytrip program.
About the Mount Washington Observatory
The Mount Washington Observatory is a private, non-profit, membership-supported organization, which has maintained a weather station and scientific research facility atop Mount Washington since 1932. Observatory members support the scientific, educational, and public service work of the Observatory, and also receive many benefits including:
- Discounts on purchases at the museum shops
- Free tours of the Observatory's summit weather station
- A subscription to Windswept, the quarterly news bulletin of the Observatory
- Access to the Observatory's volunteer programs, both in the valley and on the summit
- Access to the Observatory's educational programs, including EduTrips -- winter and summer overnight trips to the summit of Mount Washington.
For more information about Observatory membership, call (603) 356-2137 or 1 (800) 706-0432, or stop in at the Observatory's North Conway Weather Discovery Center. Membership info, plus information about Observatory programs and activities, the daily White Mountains weather forecast, current summit camera views, and an on-line Museum Shop, are also available on this Web site