February Thaw 2009-02-12 09:38:18.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist A lot of people out there appreciate a mid-winter thaw. Above freezing temperatures this time of year bring a break from the cold and allow people to get outside to do things they either can't or don't want to do when it is frigid cold.For me on the other hand, these respites from the cold are most unwelcome.First of all, I love winter. In fact, it is by far my favorite season. I love the way the mountains, and the valley for that matter, look with a blanket of white

Century Club Attempt 2009-02-10 22:21:38.000 - Mike Carmon,  Observer The road less traveled There is a distinctive (and perhaps infamous) honor up here on the summit known as the century club. If you're not conscious to it, you become a member when you successfully walk around the perimeter of our observation deck while the winds are sustained at at least 100 mph without holding on to anything, wearing crampons, or most importantly, without falling. Depending on which direction the wind is coming from, it can be a great challenge. Earlier in the week, the models seemed to be pointing towards

Marooned 2009-02-09 11:05:46.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Marooned, and happy about it! There comes a time when a wise snow cat operator must make a decision: to continue on or to turn around. It takes a brave soul to turn around. That may sound counter-intuitive, but allow me to explain.When winds are howling, sustained over 90 mph and gusting well over 100 mph, and fog engulfs the summits, visibility is extremely limited. The winds can make drifts of ten feet with two inches of snow. As the Snow Cat plunges into the depths of the snow drifts, the high winds

comment by volunteer 2009-02-08 11:11:28.000 - Mike Coclough,  Summit Volunteer NULL During dinner the wind rose steadily towards hurricane force (74 mph) and by the time we were done cleaning up from the 17-setting turkey feast around 9 p.m. we noticed it was nearing the 90 mile-per-hour mark. This sent the EduTrip participants to the weather room to watch it. It soon hit 101 miles per hour which is when Ken Olney (my friend and co-volunteer) joined the EduTrippers. The first thing I noticed upon setting foot upstairs was the fact that the windows, through which I took some scenic

Bean 2009-02-07 10:09:09.000 - Jordan Scampoli,  Summit Intern Peekaboo Two Last Wednesday was a slightly different shift change. First was the ride up in our plush new snow cat. The Observatory upgraded to a new (to us) cat from BitterRoot Resort in Montana, complete with bucket seats, a TV and Alpine speakers. We also had some guests up from LL Bean, one of our chief sponsors. It was great to meet the folks from LL Bean, two of which were gentlemen from the research and product design wings. We are all outfitted with LL Bean gear, and the purpose of

warming up 2009-02-05 18:39:43.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer NULL There was something different about today. It was hard to put my finger on it at first. Could it be the cold? Nah, that's been the norm for this winter. Was it the sunshine, the glorious warmth emanating from that relatively averaged sized ball of burning gas? I think that must be it, though 'warmth' is certainly a relative term, considering our high temperature for the day is 8 degrees below zero. Last week, I think we saw sunshine once or twice. This week is looking to be a bit different,

Nat Geo Event 2009-02-04 16:27:36.000 - Cara Rudio,  Marketing and Communications Coordinator Meet National Geographic photojournalist Jose Azel Building on the excitement of our feature in the current issue of National Geographic Magazine, the Observatory is proud to announce that it will be hosting an evening with National Geographic photojournalist Jose Azel on Thursday, February 19 at the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel.We invite you to join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the National Geographic article, 'Backyard Arctic,' as viewed through the lens of acclaimed photographer Jose Azel.The evening will also include a reception with the

Groundhogs Day Report from Marty, MWO CFO 2009-02-03 18:04:44.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Marty! Marty here, reporting from the home of the world's worst weather.I heard reports that a distant relative of mine living at a much lower elevation has been trying to make predictions about the length of the winter season. Let me tell you how it is here at the Observatory. The weather this week has gone from almost no wind to gusts over 110 mph and we have had temperatures from -16 F to a mild 14 F. If you think that I am going outside to

Hiking with Jordan 2009-02-03 00:25:10.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer NULL Today I had the opportunity to hang out a bit with my old buddy, Jordan, from the other shift, my old shift. He has now worked his way up to the hard sought position of Senior Intern, relieving Jeff 'Wehrwolf' 'Wehrburger' Wehrwein who had previously held the position. Anyway, Jordan found a day off amongst his work-filled off week and chose to hike up the mountain and back to his other place of work for a visit. He seems a smart boy, but maybe he forgot that in two

Super Bowl Sunday 2009-02-01 23:21:13.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Hey Marty-cat here to bring up an update on Superbowl Sunday! I felt a bit deserted at first tonight as everyone I have seen all week left me to go visit Chris over at State Park. He has a TV now with digital service. I eventually tracked down my people and set to watching the game, hoping the Cardinals would lose. No, it's not because Brian is from PA and I am siding with him. It's just that cardinals are so tasty! We mainly only see ravens up here, and besides