Mount Washington Observatory Observer Blog
2025 Holiday Staff Picks
2025 Holiday Staff Picks By Brandi Malloy 2026 is just a few weeks away, and the season of giving is in full swing! From Nimbus plushies to yeti beanies, we're incredibly grateful for your holiday gift purchases this season through the official MWOBS online store. Now that I've shared my personal favorites, I've turned to the rest of the team for their intel on top Observatory gifts and gear, and they had some fantastic recommendations! Read below to hear from more MWOBS team members across the organization for our Holiday Gift Staff Picks. I also wanted to send along
Supporter Spotlight: Colleen Gendron
Supporter Spotlight: Colleen 'Coco' Gendron By Wendy Almeida In the 1970s, Colleen 'Coco' Gendron was introduced to hiking by a close friend’s father, an avid hiker and Appalachian Mountain Club instructor, who shared stories of Mount Washington and the White Mountains. Her first hike up the mountain was memorable: “I was completely unprepared and naïve, but fortunately in the company of a few seasoned hikers, we made a successful trip.” That experience “gave me the hiking bug,” she says, and soon she learned more about the Observatory during a visit to its North Conway office and speaking with curator, Dr. Peter Crane. She then signed up
I Did Not Get Blown Off, I Persisted
I Did Not Get Blown Off, I Persisted By Alyssa Bélanger Hello again! To write this farewell blog summarizing my three months on the remote summit of Mount Washington, I decided to take a good bit of time to reflect. I thought about my emotions during the plane ride out to the northeast, the challenges I faced, and looked through the insane amount of pictures on my camera roll. Fear not, I will not post all 878 and counting photos, just the highlights from my time on the rockpile. Too many pictures from my time up here.
An Experience Worth 1,000 More
An Experience Worth 1,000 More By Mitchell Tsokatos Me and the summit sign once winter really got going. Taken 11/2/25. Unfortunately, my time on Mount Washington as an intern has come to an end. After six weeks of living atop the tallest mountain in the northeast, I can safely say that I will never experience anything else like it in my life. From the beginning, we were introduced to the amazing sights that being atop the summit of Mount Washington provides with a clear day. After one of the driest Octobers on record, me and my co-intern
Supporter Spotlight: AJ Mastrangelo
Supporter Spotlight: AJ Mastrangelo By Wendy Almeida A young AJ on the summit with Rebecca Scholand. AJ Mastrangelo’s relationship with Mount Washington Observatory began long before his internship—or his current career as a meteorologist. It started with a childhood visit to the summit. “My family had a seasonal place on Squam Lake in Holderness,” he recalls. “We’d always make trips up to Bretton Woods and that area, so I knew of the Observatory since I was a kid. I think I was about eight or nine years old when we drove up the Auto Road and took
Supporter Spotlight: Angelo Decrisantis
Supporter Spotlight: Angelo Decrisantis By Wendy Almeida For Angelo Decrisantis, Mount Washington has been a lifelong connection. It began in 1965, at age 15, on a family drive to the summit. “My first experience with the Observatory was in 1965 when I drove to the summit with my family while on vacation. I instantly fell in love with the mountain and everything else about it,” he recalls. Angelo became a member soon after and has supported the Observatory for nearly 50 years, hiking to the summit in all kinds of weather -- even sub-zero winter climbs with his son.
2025 Holiday Gift Guide
2025 Holiday Gift Guide By Brandi Malloy There’s something magical about Mount Washington, especially during this time of year. Thanks to our online store, you can bring a little piece of that magic home— and gift it to your loved ones. As Retail Manager for Mount Washington Observatory, I have the unique pleasure of sharing our work through fun and engaging products, publications, partnerships, and souvenirs so that you can celebrate its mission the whole year through. During my time here, I have grown familiar to the hundreds of products we offer, so I thought it might be fitting
Supporter Spotlight: Emory Prescott
Supporter Spotlight: Emory Prescott By Wendy Almeida For Emory Prescott, being a Mount Washington Observatory member for the past 10 years isn’t just about weather. It’s about purpose and the kind of research that helps people better understand the natural world. Emory was first introduced to the mountain — not through hiking or winter sports — but by her partner Greg Martin, an accomplished hang glider from New Hampshire who became the third person ever to fly off the summit of Mount Washington (a feat that is no longer permitted to attempt). His deep connection to the mountain sparked
Inside the Weather Room: How Mount Washington Observers Monitor the Atmosphere
Inside the Weather Room: How Mount Washington Observers Monitor the Atmosphere By Karl Philippoff As a weather observer on Mount Washington, we take our hourly observations on the observation deck, usually heading out between :40 to :45 past the hour and then submitting them once we come back down into the weather room. But our job does not end there when we are on observation duty— which you may have noticed during tours of the weather room. As shown below, we usually have at least the two top monitors monitoring current local and regional weather conditions in order to
From Weather Observer to Intern, to Observer Again
From Weather Observer to Intern, to Observer Again By Madelynn Smith As I rode in the backseat of our Obs van up the Auto Road for the first time as a full-time employee at Mount Washington Observatory, I found myself sitting in the same spot as I did three months prior as a summer intern, taking in vastly different views. The beginning of June was full of green mountainsides and alpine flowers in bloom, marked by the occasional patches of snow from the late-season storm two weeks prior. I sat in awe at the amazing views that the drive
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