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Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, is the highest peak in the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
at and the most
topographically prominent In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the
Mount Washington Observatory The Mount Washington Observatory (MWObs) is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution organized under the laws of the state of New Hampshire. The weather observation station is located on the summit of Mount Washington in Ne ...
recorded a windspeed of at the summit, the world record from 1934 until 1996. Mount Washington still holds the record for highest measured wind speed not associated with a tornado or tropical cyclone. The mountain is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, in Coös County, New Hampshire. The mountain is in several unincorporated townships, with the summit in the township of Sargent's Purchase. While nearly the whole mountain is in the White Mountain National Forest, an area of surrounding and including the summit is occupied by
Mount Washington State Park Mount Washington State Park is a parcel perched on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Summer seasonal amenities include a cafeteria, restrooms, gift shops, the Mount Washington Obs ...
. The
Mount Washington Cog Railway The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing Rack railway, cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States. It uses a Rack railway#Mars ...
ascends the western slope of the mountain, and the Mount Washington Auto Road climbs to the summit from the east. The mountain is visited by hikers, and the Appalachian Trail crosses the summit. Other common activities include
glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
flying,
backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...
, and annual cycle and running races such as the Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb and Road Race.


History

Before European settlers arrived in the region, the mountain was known by various indigenous peoples as ''Kodaak Wadjo'' ("the top is so hidden" or "summit of the highest mountain") or ''Agiochook'' or ''Agiocochook'' ("the place of the Great Spirit" or "the place of the Concealed One").''The Indian Heritage of New Hampshire and Northern New England'' (ed. Thaddeus Piotrowski), McFarland & Company: 2002, p. 182. The
Algonquians The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. T ...
called the summit ''Waumbik'', "white rocks". The Abenaki people inhabiting the region at the time of European contact believed that the tops of mountains were the dwelling place of the gods, and so among other reasons did not climb them out of religious deference to their sanctity. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano became the first European to mention the mountain. Viewing it from the Atlantic Ocean, he described what he saw as "high interior mountains". In 1642,
Darby Field Darby Field (1610–1649) was the first European to climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Biography Of English ancestry, Field was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. His father was John Field of London. By 1636, he immigrated to Boston, M ...
claimed to have made the first ascent of Mount Washington. Field climbed the mountain in June of that year to demonstrate to the Abenaki chief Passaconaway that the Europeans bargaining for tribal land were not subject to the gods believed to inhabit the summit, a primarily political move that facilitated colonists' northern expansion. Field again summited Agiocochook in October 1642 on an early surveying expedition that created maps of land as far as Maine, which allowed people from the Massachusetts colony to identify arable coastal areas. In 1784, a geology party, headed by Manasseh Cutler, named the mountain.Condensed Facts About Mount Washington, Atkinson News Co., 1912. In 1819, the Crawford Path, the oldest continuously maintained
hiking path A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...
in the United States, was laid out from Crawford Notch to the summit and has been in use ever since. In 1821,
Ethan Allen Crawford The Crawford family of the White Mountains were a family who moved to New Hampshire's White Mountains in the 1790s from Guildhall, Vermont, and were pioneers in establishing a tourist industry in that area. Abel Crawford and his father-in-la ...
built a house on the summit. The house lasted until a storm in 1826. Little occurred on the summit itself until the mid-19th century, when it was developed into one of the first tourist destinations in the nation, with construction of more bridle paths and two hotels. The Summit House opened in 1852, a stone hotel anchored by four heavy chains over its roof. In 1853, the
Tip-Top House The Tip-Top House is a historic former hotel in Mount Washington State Park in Sargent's Purchase, New Hampshire, United States. Built in 1853, it is the oldest surviving building in the summit area of Mount Washington, and is believed by the sta ...
was erected to compete. Rebuilt of wood with 91 rooms in 1872–1873, the Summit House burned in 1908, then was replaced in granite in 1915. The Tip-Top House alone survived the fire; today it is a state historic site, recently renovated for exhibits. Other Victorian era tourist attractions include a
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
road (1861)—now the Mount Washington Auto Road—and the
Mount Washington Cog Railway The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing Rack railway, cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States. It uses a Rack railway#Mars ...
(1869), both of which are still in operation. For forty years, until 1917, an intermittent daily newspaper, called ''Among the Clouds'', was published by Henry M. Burt at the summit each summer. In 2011 and 2012,
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
–based CNL Financial Group, which at the time operated the Mount Washington Hotel at the foot of the mountain, trademarked the "Mount Washington" name when used with a resort or hotel. CNL officials said they were directing their efforts only against hotels and not the numerous businesses in the area that use the name. CNL's application at the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
seeks registration of the trademark "Mount Washington" for any retail service, any restaurant service, and any entertainment service.


Climate

The summit station of Mount Washington has an alpine climate or tundra climate ( Köppen ''ET''), although it receives an extremely high amount of precipitation, atypical for most regions with such cold weather. However, elevations just beneath treeline have a
subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
(Köppen ''Dfc'') which eventually transitions to a humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfb'') near the mountain's base and the surrounding lower elevations. The weather of Mount Washington is notoriously erratic. This is partly due to the convergence of several storm tracks, mainly from the Atlantic to the south, the
Gulf region The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body ...
and the Pacific Northwest. The vertical rise of the Presidential Range, combined with its north–south orientation, makes it a significant barrier to westerly winds. Low-pressure areas are more favorable to develop along the coastline in the winter due to the relative temperature differences between the northeastern United States and the Atlantic Ocean. With these factors combined, hurricane-force wind gusts are observed from the summit of the mountain on average of 110 days per year. These extreme winds also contribute to the mountain's very short treeline, with elevations as low as being too hostile to support any plant life more than a few inches (centimeters) in height. Mount Washington once held the world record, and still holds the
Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
and Western Hemisphere record, for directly measured surface wind speed, at , recorded on the afternoon of April 12, 1934. A new wind speed record was discovered in 2009: on April 10, 1996, Tropical
Cyclone Olivia Severe Tropical Cyclone Olivia was a powerful cyclone, the 13th named storm of the 1995–96 Australian region cyclone season, which formed on 3 April 1996 to the north of Australia's Northern Territory. The storm moved generally to the southwes ...
had created a wind gust of at Barrow Island off the western coast of Australia. The first regular meteorological observations on Mount Washington were conducted by the
U.S. Signal Service The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...
, a precursor of the National Weather Service, from 1870 to 1892. The Mount Washington station was the first of its kind in the world, setting an example followed in many other countries. For many years, the record low temperature was thought to be occurring on January 29, 1934, but upon the first in-depth examination of the data from the 19th century at
NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
's National Climatic Data Center in
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
, a new record low was discovered. Mount Washington's official record low of was recorded on January 22, 1885. The official record low daily maximum is on February 6, 1995. Highs of or below occur on 13 days annually, while lows at or below can be expected from November 17 through April 1; from December to March, temperatures rise above freezing () on only 15 days. On January 16, 2004, the summit weather observation registered a temperature of and sustained winds of , resulting in a
wind chill Wind chill or windchill (popularly wind chill factor) is the lowering of body temperature due to the passing-flow of lower-temperature air. Wind chill numbers are always lower than the air temperature for values where the formula is valid. When ...
value of at the mountain. During a 71-hour period from approximately 3 p.m. on January 13 to 2 p.m. on January 16, 2004, the wind chill on the summit never went above . The official record high temperature at the summit is on June 26, 2003, and August 2, 1975, while the official record high daily minimum is , recorded on the latter date. Readings of or higher at the summit are seen an average of 13.5 days annually. On February 3–4, 2023, overnight wind gusts of over and a temperature of combined to produce a new US record low windchill temperature of , breaking the previous figure of . Temperatures remained at or below -45 °F for 13 straight hours on February 3–4, 2023, and a -47 °F reading from the morning of February 4, 2023 was the coldest reading in 89 years, tying a previous record low observed in January 1934. The primary summit building was designed to withstand winds; other structures are chained to the mountain. In addition to a number of broadcast towers, the mountain is the site of a non-profit scientific observatory reporting the weather as well as other aspects of the subarctic climate of the mountain. The extreme environment creates strong winds and ice at the top of Mount Washington making the use of unmanned equipment problematic. The observatory also conducts research, primarily the testing of new weather measurement devices. The Sherman Adams summit building, which houses the observatory, is closed to the public during the winter and hikers are not allowed inside the building except for pre-arranged guided tours. In 1932, the
Mount Washington Observatory The Mount Washington Observatory (MWObs) is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution organized under the laws of the state of New Hampshire. The weather observation station is located on the summit of Mount Washington in Ne ...
was built on the summit through a group interested in and noting the worth of a research facility at that demanding location. The observatory's weather data have accumulated a climate record since. Temperature and humidity readings have been collected using a
sling psychrometer A hair tension dial hygrometer with a nonlinear scale. A hygrometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of water vapor in air, in soil, or in confined spaces. Humidity measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of some other qu ...
, a simple device containing two
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s. Where most unstaffed weather stations have undergone technology upgrades, consistent use of the sling
psychrometer A hair tension dial hygrometer with a nonlinear scale. A hygrometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of water vapor in air, in soil, or in confined spaces. Humidity measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of some other qu ...
has helped provide scientific precision to the Mount Washington climate record. The observatory makes prominent use of the slogan "Home of the World's Worst Weather", a claim that originated with a 1940 article in ''Appalachia'' magazine by Charles Brooks, the man generally given the majority of credit for creating the Mount Washington Observatory. The article was titled "The Worst Weather in the World" even though it concluded that Mount Washington most likely did not have the world's worst weather.


Image gallery

File:2016-09-03 14 08 03 Observation tower at the Mount Washington Observatory on Mount Washington in Sargent's Purchase Township, Coos County, New Hampshire.jpg,
Mount Washington Observatory The Mount Washington Observatory (MWObs) is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution organized under the laws of the state of New Hampshire. The weather observation station is located on the summit of Mount Washington in Ne ...
Image:Mount Washington chained building.jpg, The original weathered
shingle Shingle may refer to: Construction *Roof shingles or wall shingles, including: **Wood shingle ***Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle that is split from a bolt, with a more rustic appearance than a sawed shingle ***Quercus imbricaria, or shingle oak ...
-clad building is chained to the ground, here covered in rime ice in early April. Image:Mt. Washington, NH.jpg, The summit of Mount Washington is frequently obscured by clouds.


Precipitation

Due in part to its high prominence, to its situation at the confluence of two major storm tracks, and to the north–south orientation of the Presidential Range ridgeline, which it crowns, Mount Washington receives high levels of precipitation, averaging an equivalent of of rain per year, with a record high for a calendar year of in 1969 and a low of in 1979. Monthly precipitation has ranged from in October 1947 to in October 2005. Large amounts of precipitation often fall in a short period of time: in October 1996, a record of precipitation fell during a single 24-hour period. A substantial amount of this falls as snow, with a seasonal average of around of snow; seasonal accumulation has ranged from in 1947–48 to in 1968–69. The record amount of snowfall in a 24-hour period, , occurred in February 1969, which is also the snowiest month on record with .


Geographical features

Although the western slope that the Cog Railway ascends is straightforward from base to summit, the mountain's other sides are more complex. On the north side, Great Gulf—the mountain's largest glacial
cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...
—forms an
amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
surrounded by the Northern Presidentials: Mounts Clay,
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, Adams and
Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
. These connected peaks reach well into the treeless alpine zone. Massive Chandler Ridge extends northeast from the summit of Washington to form the amphitheater's southern wall and the incline is ascended by the Mount Washington Auto Road. East of the summit, a plateau known as the Alpine Gardens extends south from Chandler Ridge at about elevation. It is notable for plant species either endemic to
alpine meadow Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
s in the White Mountains or outliers of larger populations in arctic regions far to the north. Alpine Gardens drops off precipitously into two prominent glacial cirques. Craggy
Huntington Ravine Huntington Ravine is a glacial cirque on Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is named for Joshua H. Huntington, the Principal Assistant to State Geologist Charles H. Hitchcock (1836–1919) for the Geological Survey ...
offers rock and ice climbing in an alpine setting. More rounded
Tuckerman Ravine Tuckerman Ravine is a glacial cirque sloping eastward on the southeast face of Mt. Washington, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Although it draws hikers throughout the year, and skiers throughout the winter, it is best known for the ma ...
is New England's best-known site for spring back-country skiing as late as June and then a scenic hiking route. South of the summit lies a second and larger alpine plateau, Bigelow Lawn, at to elevation. Satellite summit Boott Spur and then the Montalban Ridge including
Mount Isolation Mount Isolation is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Mount Isolation is the highest peak on the Montalban Ridge which extends south from Boott Spur. Isolat ...
and Mount Davis extend south from it, while the higher Southern Presidentials—Mounts Monroe,
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, Eisenhower,
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, Jackson and
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—extend southwest to Crawford Notch. Oakes Gulf separates the two high ridges.


Uses

The mountain is part of a popular hiking area, with the Appalachian Trail crossing the summit and one of the Appalachian Mountain Club's eight mountain huts, the
Lakes of the Clouds Hut The High Huts of the White Mountains are eight mountain huts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, owned and maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club. They are modeled after similar huts in the Alps and positioned at intervals along th ...
, located on one of the mountain's shoulders. Winter recreation includes Tuckerman Ravine, famous for its Memorial Day skiing and its 50-degree slopes. The ravine is notorious for its avalanches, of which about 100 are recorded every year, and which have killed six people since 1849. Scores of hikers have died on the mountain in all seasons, due to harsh and rapidly changing conditions, inadequate equipment, and failure to plan for the wide variety of conditions that can occur above tree line. The weather at Mount Washington has made it a site for
glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
flying. In 2005, it was recognized as the 14th National Landmark of Soaring.


Hiking

The most common hiking trail approach to the summit is via the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. It starts at the Pinkham Notch camp area and gains , leading straight up the bowl of Tuckerman Ravine via a series of steep rock steps that afford views of the ravine and across the notch to Wildcat Mountain. Fatalities have occurred on the trail, both from ski accidents and hypothermia. Water bottles may be refilled at the base of the bowl up the trail at a well pump near the Hermit Lake Shelters, which offers snacks, toilets and shelter. At the summit is a center with a museum, gift shop, observation area, cafeteria, and the
Mount Washington Observatory The Mount Washington Observatory (MWObs) is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution organized under the laws of the state of New Hampshire. The weather observation station is located on the summit of Mount Washington in Ne ...
. Other routes up the eastern slopes of the mountain include the Lion Head, Boott Spur, Huntington Ravine and Nelson Crag trails, as well as the Great Gulf Trail ascending from the northeast. Routes from the western slopes include the Ammonoosuc Ravine and Jewell trails and the Crawford Path and Gulfside Trail (coincident with the Appalachian Trail from the southwest and from the north, respectively). There are many differences between climbing Mount Washington in summer and climbing it in winter. There are no public facilities on the summit in winter. In the winter months, the most common route is the Lion Head Winter Route, which begins on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail but then turns north to ascend up to Lion Head at elevation . The winter route variation is recommended to help climbers avoid avalanche danger. Exactly where the route turns from the Tuckerman Ravine Trail depends on the snow conditions. If the amount of snowfall has not been significant, the Lion Head Summer Route may be open. After hiking from the visitor center in Pinkham Notch, the trail will take a right turn onto the Lion Head Summer Route. If there has been enough snow accumulation on the summer Lion Head Trail, the Forest Service will open the Lion Head Winter Route, which turns off after approximately .


Cog railway

Since 1869, the
Mount Washington Cog Railway The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing Rack railway, cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States. It uses a Rack railway#Mars ...
has provided tourists with a train journey to the summit of Mount Washington. It uses a
Marsh rack system A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with thi ...
and was the first successful rack railway in the US.


Races

Every June, the mountain is the site of the
Mount Washington Road Race The Mount Washington Road Race is a road running event that follows the auto road going from the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire nearly to the mountain's summit (located at above sea level). The race was first held in 1936, and has be ...
, an event that attracts hundreds of
runners Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
. In August the
Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is an annual American cycle racing event held in New Hampshire. The event raises money for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, which promotes appreciation of the environment. Background In August ...
, a bicycle race, takes place along the same route as the road race. The hillclimb's notable contestants include former Tour de France contender Tyler Hamilton. On August 7, 1932, Raymond E. Welch became the first one-legged man to climb Mount Washington. An official race was held and open only to one-legged people. Mr. Welch climbed the "Jacob's Ladder" route and descended via the carriage road. At the time of his climb, he was the station agent for the Boston & Maine Railroad in
Northumberland, New Hampshire Northumberland is a town located in western Coös County, New Hampshire, U.S., north of Lancaster. It is part of the Berlin, NH– VT micropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,126, of whom 1,068 lived i ...
. The mountain is also the host to one of the oldest car races in the country, the
Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race The Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, also known as the Climb to the Clouds, is a timed hillclimb auto race up the Mount Washington Auto Road to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. It is one of the oldest auto races in the country, ...
, which has been held on and off since 1904. Travis Pastrana set record ascents in 2010, 2014, 2017, and 2021, driving a
Subaru WRX STi The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Leone, with the predecessor's EA series engines replaced by the new EJ series. It is now in its sixth gen ...
to a record of five minutes and 28.67 seconds. In 2014 EVSR created by Entropy Racing was the first electric car to compete at Mt. Washington with an official time for driver
Tim O'Neil Tim O'Neil is an American rally racing driver, and the winner of five production-based North American rally championships. He has driven both as a privateer, and as a factory driver for Volkswagen and Mitsubishi. Racing career 1980s O'Neil's fi ...
of seven minutes and 28.92 seconds.


Backcountry skiing

Tuckerman Ravine, a glacial cirque on the mountain's southeast side, is a popular
backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...
destination, attracting tens of thousands of skiers to the mountain each year. Skiers have skied down the headwall since 1931, first by two
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students, John Carleton and
Charles Proctor Charles Proctor (January 4, 1906 – February 1, 1996) was an American skier. He competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: ...
, who were quickly followed by a group from
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
who skied the headwall from the summit of Mount Washington for the first time. The ravine soon became an important site for
extreme skiing Extreme skiing is performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes in mountainous terrain. The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s. The first practitioners include Swiss skier ...
in New England. The mountain hosted the first
giant slalom Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G. Giant slalom and slalom make up t ...
race in the United States in 1937, the Franklin Edson Memorial Race.


Transmission facilities

Due to its status as the highest elevation in the northeast United States, the top of the mountain is a popular site for stations that require transmission ranges over a broad territory, but which operate on frequencies that are generally limited to line-of-sight coverage. In 2003, it was reported that the summit was the site used "for three commercial radio stations and dozens of state, federal and private agencies, including the state police". Use of the mountain summit as a transmitter site dates to the 1930s. At this time investigations were begun into establishing radio stations broadcasting on "Very High Frequency" (VHF) assignments above 30 MHz. Reception of stations operating on these frequencies tended to be limited to line-of-sight distances, so operating from the top of Mount Washington was ideal for providing maximum coverage. As of 1938 it was reported that at least five experimental stations were located on the mountain. The most prominent of the early experimental stations was W1XER, originally an "Apex" radio station licensed to the Yankee Network, that was moved from Boston to the mountain in 1937, and initially used to relay meteorological information from the weather observatory. With the aid of Edwin H. Armstrong, the station was converted from an AM transmitter into an FM broadcasting station, although the conversion process turned out to be an arduous undertaking, and W1XER did not start broadcast programming on a regular schedule until December 19, 1940. This station's facilities included construction of the original broadcast tower, the Yankee Building housing the crew and transmitter equipment, and the first power house building. Commercial broadcasting commenced on April 5, 1941, initially with the call sign W39B. Effective November 1, 1943 the station call sign was changed to WMTW, and in late 1946 the call letters were changed again, to WMNE. WMNE ceased operations in late 1948, due to excessive maintenance costs, and concern that a mandatory frequency change to the new FM "high band" would cause an unacceptable decrease in transmission range. In 1954 WMTW, channel 8, licensed to
Poland Spring, Maine Poland is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,906 at the 2020 census. Set among rolling hills and numerous lakes, the town is home to Range Ponds State Park, which includes hiking trails and a pristine fresh ...
, constructed a TV tower and transmitter and began operations from the mountain, including local forecasts by (now retired) WMTW transmitter engineer Marty Engstrom. In its first decades, WMTW served as the
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Network affiliate for the
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,
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, Montreal and Sherbrooke
television market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
s, thanks to its wide coverage area. This station relocated its transmitter away from the mountain in 2002, due to concerns that a mandated switch from analog to digital transmissions would result in insufficient coverage if the transmitter remained at the mountaintop. There are currently two FM stations located at the mountain. 1958 saw the construction of WMTW-FM 94.9 MHz (now WHOM). A second station, WMOU (now WPKQ), moved to the summit in 1987, installing transmitters in the Yankee building and constructing a new broadcast tower behind the building, which is the tallest structure on the summit. WHOM and WMTW-TV shared a transmitter building, which also housed the generators used to supply electrical power to the various facilities atop the mountain. However, on February 9, 2003, a major fire broke out in the generator room of the transmitter building, which had become the property of the state only a year earlier when WMTW left the summit. The fire destroyed the building, including WHOM's transmitters as well as the summit's main generators, and also spread to the adjacent Old Yankee Power House building, which housed the emergency generator, destroying that building also and disrupting all power to the summit. Temporary generators had to be transported up the mountain to restore power to the observatory and to the Yankee building, which houses important public safety communications equipment. A makeshift generator room was constructed underneath the canopy of the Sherman Adams building across from the public entrance to replace the destroyed buildings. The makeshift generator room was later made permanent when power cables were installed in 2009, delivering grid power to the summit for the first time. The original Armstrong tower still stands today. The Yankee Building also remains and continues to serve as a communications facility, housing equipment for numerous tenants including cellular telephone providers and public safety agencies. The old sign from the destroyed Old Yankee Power House building was placed above the doorway to the new generator room. WHOM subsequently built a new transmitter building on the site of the old power building, and also installed a new standby
antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...
on the Armstrong tower. (For the first time since 1948, the Armstrong tower was used for broadcasts.) The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office in Gray, Maine, operates
NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Serv ...
station KZZ41 on 162.5 MHz from the summit of Mount Washington. The NWS coverage map indicates that it can be heard throughout most of New Hampshire, western Maine, northeast Vermont, and portions of southern Canada. During very clear conditions, KZZ41 has the potential to reach the majority of northern Massachusetts (including some northern areas of Greater Boston and much of the North Shore) as well as the majority of Vermont and Maine. In June 2008, the possibility of television returning to Mount Washington arose, with the filing by
New Hampshire Public Television New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS), known as New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) prior to October 1, 2017, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member network serving the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is operated by New Hampshire Public Broadcast ...
to move WLED-TV from its current location near Littleton to the old WMTW mast on top.


Deaths

As of 2019, more than 161 people had died in the Presidential range, since record-keeping began in 1849. Author Nicholas Howe has detailed many of the fatalities on this mountain in his book ''Not Without Peril'' published in 2000 and updated in 2009.
Globe Pequot Press Globe Pequot is a book publisher and distributor of outdoor recreation and leisure titles that publishes 500 new titles. Globe Pequot was acquired by Morris Communications Morris Communications, headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, is a privat ...
, Guiford, Connecticut -
The foreword to the 2009 edition states that many of the deaths over the past 150 years can be attributed to poor planning and lack of understanding of "the difference in weather between Boston and the mountains. The latter are farther north, farther inland and much higher than the city." William Buckingham Curtis, often posthumously called "the father of American amateur athletics", died from exhaustion on June 30, 1900, near
Lakes of the Clouds Hut The High Huts of the White Mountains are eight mountain huts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, owned and maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club. They are modeled after similar huts in the Alps and positioned at intervals along th ...
during a summer snowstorm.


Artistic tributes

Mount Washington has been the subject of several famous paintings, part of a New England school of art known as White Mountain art. Inspired by the Hudson River School of landscape painting, a number of artists during the Victorian era ventured into the White Mountains in search of natural subjects. Train service in the area spurred increased tourism and the construction of the
Glen House Glen House is the name of a series of grand resorts and hotels, dating back to 1852, in Pinkham Notch very near Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA. History The completion of the Grand Trunk Railway in ...
where Albert Bierstadt and his photographer brother (
Bierstadt Brothers Edward Bierstadt (September 11, 1824 – June 15, 1906) was a photographer of portraits and landscapes as well as an engraver in the United States. Early life Bierstadt was born in Solingen, Rhine Province, Prussia on September 11, 1824. He ...
) stayed.
John P. Soule John Payson Soule (1828–1904) was a photographer and publisher in Boston, Massachusetts, and Seattle, Washington. Biography He was born in Phillips, Maine on October 19, 1828. His younger brother, William Stinson Soule, also became a photogr ...
, John B. Heywood and the
Kilburn Brothers Benjamin West Kilburn (December 10, 1827 – January 15, 1909) was an American photographer and stereoscopic view publisher famous for his landscape images of the nascent American and Canadian state, provincial, and national parks and his visua ...
also produced stereographic images of scenery in the area. File:Mt. Washington, from Glen House, by Soule, John P., 1827-1904.jpg, Mount Washington from
Glen House Glen House is the name of a series of grand resorts and hotels, dating back to 1852, in Pinkham Notch very near Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA. History The completion of the Grand Trunk Railway in ...
in a
stereographic Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...
image by
John P. Soule John Payson Soule (1828–1904) was a photographer and publisher in Boston, Massachusetts, and Seattle, Washington. Biography He was born in Phillips, Maine on October 19, 1828. His younger brother, William Stinson Soule, also became a photogr ...
Ferdinand Richardt Summit of Mount Washington in the White Mountains.jpg,
Ferdinand Richardt Joachim Ferdinand Richardt (10 April 1819 – 29 October 1895) was a Danish-American artist. In Denmark he is mostly known for his lithographs of castles and manor houses. After emigrating to the United States he specialized in paintings of Niag ...
(1857) Benjamin Champney - Mount Washington.jpg, Benjamin Champney JKensett Mount Washington (JJH-JFK001).jpg,
John F. Kensett John Frederick Kensett (March 22, 1816 – December 14, 1872) was an American landscape painter and engraver born in Cheshire, Connecticut. He was a member of the second generation of the Hudson River School of artists. Kensett's signature works ...
(1869) Autumn in the Conway Meadows Looking Towards Mount Washington.jpg, Albert Bierstadt (1858)


See also

* Freelan Oscar Stanley * List of mountain peaks of North America ** List of mountain peaks of the United States ***
List of U.S. states by elevation This list includes the topographic elevations of each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. The elevation of a geographic area may be stated in several ways. These include: #The maximum elevation of the a ...
*** List of Ultras of the United States


Explanatory notes


References


External links


Mount Washington Observatory

Mount Washington Cog Railway

Mount Washington Auto Road

Tips for hiking Mount Washington

Current trail conditions on and around Mount Washington


* Computer generated summit panorama
NorthSouthWest to Adirondack Group

National Geographic: Mount Washington – Backyard Arctic

Hazecam view of Mount Washington
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Mount Highest points of U.S. states Locations in Native American mythology Mountains of Coös County, New Hampshire Mountains of New Hampshire Mountains on the Appalachian Trail New England Four-thousand footers North American 1000 m summits Tourist attractions in Coös County, New Hampshire Towers in New Hampshire White Mountains (New Hampshire)