25^th Anniversary Seek the Peak Raises More Than $300,000 for Mount Washington Observatory

North Conway, NH, July 31 2025 – Mount Washington Observatory’s (MWOBS) 25th Anniversary Seek the Peak set a fundraising record, generating more than $300,000 to support the nonprofit organization’s work in weather forecasting, long-term data, research, and education.

“Who could have imagined we would surpass our $250,000 goal and exceed last year’s fundraising total by $70,000?” Drew Bush, MWOBS Executive Director, said. “Words cannot express our gratitude for all of the hard work of our hikers, sponsors, volunteers, and partners in making this possible. We were blessed with incredible weather and enthusiastic participants at our kick-off party, on the trailheads around Mount Washington, and at our the Après Hike Expo. The energy everyone brought was simply thrilling.”

The 2025 summer hike-a-thon culminated at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center on Saturday, July 19 with the expo, featuring hiker prizes, live music, a barbecue feast, vendor village, and gear raffle. A total of 593 hikers registered to raise funds for the event, representing a 63% increase over last year. These participants and more than 50 sponsors made it possible to far exceed this year’s fundraising goal to support MWOBS’s operations and forecasting, which now reaches beyond the higher summits of the White Mountains to the entire states of Vermont and New Hampshire.

“This crucial support enables us to keep millions of visitors to New Hampshire safe outdoors, complete groundbreaking scientific research with partners, and inspire thousands of young students and their families each year with educational programs,” Bush said.

Tuckerman Brewing Company hosted the July 19 kick-off party, where hikers could check in, pick up their new gear, get custom-fitted insoles from Oboz Footwear, talk with representatives from Arc’teryx Boston, and meet with current and former MWOBS weather observers. White Mountain National Forest Trailhead Stewards were also there to provide trail guidance and safety tips.

“We had 270 first-year participant sign-ups and many new guests welcomed at both the kick-off party and Après Hike Expo,” Wendy Almeida, MWOBS’s Development Officer, said. “Overall, we saw a total of over 700 people at Saturday’s event, including sponsors, volunteers, staff, and participants.”

Hikers received the Higher Summits Forecast and trail information on Saturday morning from MWOBS and Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) volunteers at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and from White Mountain National Forest Trail Stewards at various popular trailheads. Participants were also treated to free tours of MWOBS’s summit weather station along with summit cookies provided by sponsor Big Dave’s Bagels.

Sponsors and nonprofit partners provided vital support for the event, contributing gear and other prizes for the annual Seek the Peak raffle. MWOBS partnered with local organizations to offer kid-friendly activities and engaging experiences, such as New Hampshire Scouting’s “Mobile Base Camp,” and the Granite Outdoor Alliance’s “Rock City,” which highlighted New Hampshire brands and organizations in the expo’s vendor village.

“Granite Outdoor is proud to support the Observatory’s work to study and protect our high alpine environment while educating folks on how to responsibly recreate in the mountains,” Samantha Trombley, Granite Outdoor Alliance’s Marketing Manager, said. “It was truly incredible to watch Rock City come to life at Seek the Peak and see hundreds of passionate hikers explore the brands and nonprofits that power our state’s outdoor economy.”

Attendees enjoyed live music by Food for Bears, a catered barbecue meal by Joe’s Bistro, a 28-foot rock climbing wall, tours of the new MWOBS snow cat, and more. Roy Prescott of Conway Broadcasting’s WMWV emceed the event, with live on-air segments featuring MWOBS staff.

The Top Three Individual Fundraisers this year were Brad Griswold, who raised $26,102.50; Chris Nichols, who raised $15,546.51; and Sandy Kurtz, who raised $15,000. The Top Fundraising Team was The Nichols Clan, led by captain Chris Nichols, raising $16,296.51. Peak Potential, led by captain Gary MacDonald, won Top Student & Family Fundraising Team, raising $8,433.45. Dodge Team, led by captain Peter Middleton, won Top Business Fundraising Team, raising $9,658.75.

Winners received a variety of prizes, including overnight trips to the summit of Mount Washington to meet MWOBS staff (and Nimbus, the resident cat), an LL Bean kayak, a $1,000 gift card to NH-based outdoor apparel company Terracea, season passes to Vail Resorts, collaborative products with Mountainsmith and Burgeon Outdoors, and Seek the Peak trail signs. All participating hikers were able to earn exclusive 25^th Anniversary Seek the Peak socks by Minus33 Merino Wool, event t-shirts and backpacks by Eastern Mountain Sports, patches, and backpacking meals from Good-to-Go.

“We congratulate our winners and every single 2025 participant,” said Charlie Buterbaugh, MWOBS Director of External Affairs. “Seek the Peak hikers play a vital role, increasing awareness about the Observatory and sustaining our work. They have collectively made a major impact.”

For event photos, visit Mount Washington Observatory’s Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mwobs/albums.

Seek the Peak was made possible by Presenting Sponsors Arc’teryx, Eastern Mountain Sports, Helly Hansen, Martini Northern, and Great Glen Trails, with additional support from Event Sponsors Tuckerman Brewing Company, Minus33, Conway Broadcasting and 93.5 WMWV, Oboz Footwear, Garmin, Mountainsmith, NEMO Equipment, L.L.Bean, The Soaking Pot, Vail Resorts, Camden National Bank, Wildly Responsible, White Mountain Oil & Propane, Burgeon Outdoor, Terracea, Granite Outdoor Alliance, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Northeast Delta Dental, New Hampshire Public Radio, Good To-Go, Peter Limmer & Sons, LightChaser Productions, Vibe Magazine, Mt. Washington Auto Road, Mount Washington Cog Railway, and New Hampshire State Parks. Find a full list of sponsors here.

About Mount Washington Observatory:

Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS) is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region. The summit facility is located within Mount Washington State Park. For more information, call 603-356-2137 or visit mountwashington.org.

Contact:
Ellen Estabrook, Communications Manager
(603) 356-2137, ext. 223
eestabrook@mountwashington.org

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Photos by LightChaser Productions