Winter and a webcam…

2007-01-03 17:49:55.000 – Jim Salge,  Observer

A wintry sunset…

After two (snowless) weeks away from the summit, it’s good to arrive back into a wintry landscape. The snowcat was waiting for the truck at around 2000 feet of elevation, and the road was largely covered with snow and ice from bottom to top. Though covered, the road lacked any large drifts or deep snow pack, making for a rather uneventful and routine shift change, which found the crew on the summit within an hour and a half.

Winds at the summit remain at or above its January average, with frequent gusts above hurricane force through the afternoon. The winds seem to lack their usual wintry bite though, as temperatures, which started out the day cold, have risen quickly, and show no indication of slowing their ascent into the weekend. A January thaw is nothing unusual in Northern New England, but I’m sure most in New England will agree that it’s tradition to have SOMETHING THAW!

Rather than dwell upon the impending warm weather, I’ll take a moment to discuss a rather large feature that will soon be added to the webpage. We’ve discussed the internal advancements that the summit has made with the Research Infrastructure Upgrade (RIU) that has been underway at the Observatory for the last three years, and some products like the ARVTP have become publicly available through the upgrade.

We’re pleased to announce one more!

With increased wireless capability from the summit, we have completed the installation of a new Webcam with views of the mountain from the top of Bretton Woods Ski Resort.

And that’s where you come in…

The non-profit Mount Washington Observatory relies on the continued support of its members and supporters to fund the summit station, as well as to keep this website running. It is our hope that, with the new year, we can welcome 250 new members to our organization.

Please consider taking the Bretton Woods Challenge, and bring the Cam online!

Jim Salge,  Observer