Volunteer
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Mount Washington Observatory!
As a nonprofit, member-supported institution, volunteers are an important part of our operations. Volunteer opportunities are available at our weather station on top of Mount Washington, and at our administrative offices located in downtown North Conway, New Hampshire. We also occasionally need volunteers to assist with tasks in the field and at offsite events.
Volunteers support our administrative staff in a variety of ways. In the office, volunteers help with mailings and other administrative tasks. Outside, volunteers help us with landscaping and maintaining our remote instrument sites throughout the White Mountains. Volunteers also provide support at local and regional events. If you would like to offer your time and talent, we invite you to complete a valley volunteer program application.
For more information about the program, email volunteer@mountwashington.org
Volunteers are a key element in the smooth operation of Mount Washington Observatory’s famous mountaintop facility. Each week in the summer, two volunteers are on duty at the summit, with the primary responsibility of planning and preparing meals for the Observatory crew and visitors. Typically, volunteers prepare dinner only for the crew, which consists of three observers, one or two interns, a museum docent and you and your fellow volunteer. In addition to the crew we do sometimes have overnight trip participants, for which volunteers prepare three meals a day.
If you are interested in this program, please read through the listed requirements, duties and example schedule before completing an application through the link below.
For new applicants, if chosen, will be asked to submit to a $13.00 application fee to cover the costs of a background check before being scheduled to volunteer on the summit. Returning summit volunteers do not need to submit this fee.
- Provide dinner in the summit weather station for staff
- Assist with nightly clean-up duties in the living quarters
- Welcome visitors to the Extreme Mount Washington Museum for a 3-4 hours each day as well as assist the museum docent with museum and gift shop operations as needed.
- Host overnight and daytrip visitors: prep living quarters, cook three meals a day for up to 17 people, clean-up, etc.
If you have other skills like painting, carpentry, or plumbing, we graciously welcome help with general maintenance tasks as well!
Requirements:
- Enthusiastic about the work of MWOBS and eager to support summit operations through the work in the Extreme Mount Washington museum and summit weather station
- Commit to a full shift week on Mount Washington that runs Wednesday to Wednesday (8 days)
- In good health, physically able to pick up boxes, co-exist with a pet cat on the summit (for those with allergies), able to safely evacuate the summit in the unlikely event of an emergency by walking down the 8-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road
- Comfortable speaking to the public as a representative of MWOBS
- Ability to cook nightly for our summit crew of 7+ people
- Ability to cook three meals a day for up to 17 people during overnight trips
- Read and review training materials in advance of summit week
- Comply with a background check
- At least 18 years old.
- Comfortable sharing a bunk room with other volunteers or MWOBS staff and/or interns
To be considered for a Winter Summit volunteer position, you must have completed a prior summer volunteering week.
For more information about the program, email volunteer@mountwashington.org
Check back in March 2025 to apply to be a summer summit volunteer.
Winter Summit Volunteers must have completed a prior summer volunteering week.
Volunteers are a key element in the smooth operation of Mount Washington Observatory’s famous mountaintop facility. Each week, two volunteers are on duty at the summit, with the primary responsibility of planning and preparing meals for the Observatory crew and visitors. Typically, volunteers prepare dinner for the crew, which consists of three observers, one or two interns, and you and your fellow volunteer. In addition to the crew we often have overnight trip participants, for which volunteers prepare three meals a day. December through March is the busiest trip season, with overnight guests one or two nights week.
If you are interested in this program, please read through the listed requirements, duties and example schedule before completing an application through the link below.
- Provide dinner in the summit weather station for staff
- Assist with nightly clean-up duties in the living quarters
- Host overnight and daytrip visitors: prep living quarters, cook three meals a day for up to 17 people, clean-up, etc.
If you have other skills like painting, carpentry, or plumbing, we graciously welcome help with general maintenance tasks as well!
Requirements:
- You must first volunteer with our “Summer Summit Volunteer and Museum Docent Program” for one week before we will consider your application to be a “Winter Summit Volunteer.”
- Enthusiastic about the work of MWOBS and eager to support summit operations through the work in the Extreme Mount Washington museum and summit weather station
- Commit to a full shift week on Mount Washington that runs Wednesday to Wednesday (8 days)
- In good health, physically able to pick up boxes, co-exist with a pet cat on the summit (for those with allergies), able to safely evacuate the summit in the unlikely event of an emergency by walking down the 8-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road
- Comfortable speaking to the public as a representative of MWOBS
- Ability to cook nightly for our summit crew of 7+ people
- Ability to cook three meals a day for up to 17 people during overnight trips
- Read and review training materials in advance of summit week
- Comply with a background check
- At least 18 years old
- Comfortable sharing a bunk room with other volunteers or MWOBS staff and/or interns
For more information about the program, email volunteer@mountwashington.org
Check back in August 2025 to apply to be a winter summit volunteer (Summer volunteer week required before winter week consideration).
