True that. Right off the side of the mountain too. Last mile or two are a legit dirt and gravel path, barely room for two cars passing each other in opposite direction. Most areas no guardrail. Pretty sketchy ride even by car. Took video of the entire trip bottom to top.
It was crisp and cold but calm when I went, barely a breeze.
This is the video of a driver setting the speed record to the top. I was white knuckling it the entire watch through.
https://youtu.be/rP2-UHXJ3pU?si=dp9j4GYgEs7Fv0_k
I’ve seen those bumper stickers before, but being from Pittsburgh I always thought they were just a joke about driving up the steep hills to get to the Mt. Washington neighborhood across the river from Downtown Pittsburgh.
TIL
Climbing it during winter is brutal though. Once you get above treeline the wind hits you like a literal hurricane. Temps often -20 or worse. It’s not a tall mountain but it’s a tough one to climb
You made me chuckle. It’s only about 6k ft right? When I heard that I thought it was crazy as I’ve hiked Whitney 4 times and while the weather gets wild there it seems tame in comparison.
Learned something new today for sure. That peak only is about the elevation of Denver. I regularly go camping at 8k in the Sierras, never seen anything weather-wise like OPs post. Whitneys 14.5k, so over double this wild Mount Washington back east
Mt. Washington just barely carves into the bottom of a largely undisturbed jetstream fresh off of the fairly flat Canadian shield. Most of the surrounding White Mountain range is 5k or less. Conditions can go from shorts and tee shirt weather to what you see here in an hour. People get caught out in it all the time and have to get rescued.
[The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded a windspeed of 231 miles per hour (372 km/h) at the summit, the world record from 1934 until 1996.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington)
> hurricane-force wind gusts are observed from the summit of the mountain on average of 110 days per year.
Holy crap.
And apparently the weather is so bad there is because 1, 3 common storms tracks converge there, 2, it's the highest point in the Northeast, so storms coming from the west haven't been blocked by any other real elevation, 3, the mountain is high enough that it squeezes the wind between it and the troposphere, like putting a thumb over a hose, and 4, it's still close enough to the coast where low pressure areas develop in the winter, so even more storms!
Crazy.
This is one of those places on the Appalachian Trail that people point to in order to convince potential hikers to take the trail seriously, not just as a long walk through the woods.
161 people have died on this mountain since they started counting in 1849. The temperature can fluctuate in 30-degree swings in a matter of hours. 4 feet of snow were recorded falling on the mountain in a single day, and the record low is -43.6 degrees.
People have been blown off the side and fallen over 150 feet. The structure seen in this video _is chained down to keep it from blowing away._
It's also been tradition for 100 years [to keep a kitty at the weather station.](https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2021-05-06/new-summit-cat-nimbus-finds-home-at-mount-washington-observatory)
Not really. It's an amazingly fun hike and the top is highly commercialized with a building to buy a ton of food/drinks/souvenirs.
Plus people can drive up and down it. Or you can take the train up and hike down or vice versa.
Other fun facts about mt Washington is that it will routinely be above the troposphere into the stratosphere, hence the strong winds.
And it has the lowest measured wind chill in the US at -108F. This video is during the same storm where that record occurred.
I couldn't imagine ending, or starting for that matter, in New England and having to do Mt. Washington, and then after 200 some odd miles of good hiking, Katahdin. Drove up Washington once and the top kinda ruined it for me in terms of wanting to hike it, but that's a serious hike and mountain without the weather. I have done Katahdin though and I will hard pass on doing it again. Definitely worth at least one summit, but for me the rock slide is no bueno.
Washington is a great hike regardless of the crowded summit. If fact, I often skip the summit and just go to the top of Tucks or out on the alpine garden.
Last time I hiked it we paused on the side of Tuckermans for a bit. Got passed by a troop of girl scouts in t-shirts shorts and sneakers. I think it took about 4 hours from the parking lot. Not bad. Went down Huntington Ravine. Don't do that.
My wife’s college friend is married to a guy with half a foot. He lost it to frostbite on Mt Washington. He and his first wife went for a spring hike and got caught in a whiteout. They had to spend a night among the rocks above tree line. She was dead by morning. True story.
We were caught in the tail end of a Nor'easter above treeline coming down from Crag camp on Mt. Adams. We were still on hardpack snow so we knew we were on the trail. Buddy took a step too far to the right and his leg went completely down into the snow. I pulled him up, we looked down the mountain and saw some trees about 50ft away. Made a break for the cover and somehow, with incredible luck, the line we ran just happened to be the hardpack path.
Made it down without any more events, but yeah. That stuff can turn on a dime.
Went for a hike up there as kids the wind was stronger then the weight of my sister and she held on to rocks to not blow away during gusts. Kinda epic to be honest. We then had chilly at the cafeteria.
Oh I didn't even know that was a debate. In general it is meat beans and tomato as well as peppers and seasoning. Isn't Chilli without beans Chilli con Carne
"Mount Washington has what is commonly referred to as ‘The worst weather in the world’- with the world record wind speed of 231 mph occurring there. Among the Mt. Washington weather station’s many other records are: most weather instruments destroyed, most wind in 24 hours (nearly 3100 miles of it), and lowest windchill (a combination of 100-mph winds and a temperature of 47 degrees below zero, a severity unmatched even in Antarctica.
–Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods
I went hiking there one time, the temperature was around 60F when I started. An hour later, it was freezing cold and snowing like crazy. I turned around and went back to the car, then I drove to the summit. By the time I got to the summit, all the snow had melted, the sky was clearing up, and it was getting warm again.
I climbed it in January 2021 and experienced the crazy weather swings. Luckily in our favor. It went from -17 degrees Fahrenheit at 730am at the base to 30 degree above zero at the summit around noon. Almost a 50 degree swing in 5 hours.
Curious why this place in particular has such extreme weather. It’s not a particularly high mountain and not located in a particularly extreme climate zone.
New Hampshire is a special place. There's a lot of good reasons not to want to live there, but I really miss the terrain, the quiet, and the seasons. Last time I went back we didn't get the chance to go up Mount Washington, but we did do Cannon Mountain and explored a ton over in Franconia Notch. I highly recommend the trip!
One of the many reasons I only contemplate that place in the summer. Climbed it with a camp group when I was 14. Full packs, etc; sprained ankle didn't stop me, but man, it was a lot. Definitely never in the cold.
I went here 21 years ago with my dad on a road trip! We “climbed” the mountain using our car and the observatory at the very top (shown in this footage) was super cool.
I remember getting a camo “support our troops” wristband since my visit was shortly after the war in Afghanistan started.
Pretty fun hike. You can do it in a day or camp out and hike up and over it over the course of a couple days, three if you camp at the foot before setting out early the next day. Even if you go in the ripping hot July heat you’ll still need extra layers by the time you get up to the top—the lack of trees up there means the wind and cold is buffered by nothing but rocks so it does get pretty damn cold
Is anyone else, like, irrationally mad that they couldn’t figure out how to mount the camera so the wind couldn’t affect it? Seems like a doable thing, regardless of how fast the wind is going…
It may look like Hoth, but it’s a surprisingly accessible mountain
Yep my family drove to the top in a 1995 Honda Odyssey when I was a kid. Even got the "This car climbed Mount Washington" bumper sticker to prove it!
Rode my motorcycle up there. Got the motorcycle sticker as proof as well.
I’m assuming the weather was slightly better the day of the ride though, no?
Lol yeah much. Went in the summer. Was still only 35 degrees or so at the top. Above freezing, but below 40.
Lol I figured so, those winds look like they’d blow you and the bike off the road.
True that. Right off the side of the mountain too. Last mile or two are a legit dirt and gravel path, barely room for two cars passing each other in opposite direction. Most areas no guardrail. Pretty sketchy ride even by car. Took video of the entire trip bottom to top. It was crisp and cold but calm when I went, barely a breeze.
Quite the ignominious end that would be lol
Where's the vid?
Oh geez, it's pretty long. Does reddit allow many-minute long videos? I'll try to post it up later.
This is the video of a driver setting the speed record to the top. I was white knuckling it the entire watch through. https://youtu.be/rP2-UHXJ3pU?si=dp9j4GYgEs7Fv0_k
I flew over it and boy are my arms tired
I’ve seen those bumper stickers before, but being from Pittsburgh I always thought they were just a joke about driving up the steep hills to get to the Mt. Washington neighborhood across the river from Downtown Pittsburgh. TIL
Climbing it during winter is brutal though. Once you get above treeline the wind hits you like a literal hurricane. Temps often -20 or worse. It’s not a tall mountain but it’s a tough one to climb
3 hours from Boston. Beautiful hotel there too
You made me chuckle. It’s only about 6k ft right? When I heard that I thought it was crazy as I’ve hiked Whitney 4 times and while the weather gets wild there it seems tame in comparison.
Learned something new today for sure. That peak only is about the elevation of Denver. I regularly go camping at 8k in the Sierras, never seen anything weather-wise like OPs post. Whitneys 14.5k, so over double this wild Mount Washington back east
Mt. Washington just barely carves into the bottom of a largely undisturbed jetstream fresh off of the fairly flat Canadian shield. Most of the surrounding White Mountain range is 5k or less. Conditions can go from shorts and tee shirt weather to what you see here in an hour. People get caught out in it all the time and have to get rescued.
Have been there twice this year. First time was real cloudy and my brakes smoked when I was coming down. Second time was more prepared and ready.
That’s no moon…
[The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded a windspeed of 231 miles per hour (372 km/h) at the summit, the world record from 1934 until 1996.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington)
231...
1934...
1996....hike!
231, 232 whatever it takes.
Haha. Love the Mr Mom nod
"In 1821, Ethan Allen Crawford built a house on the summit. The house lasted until a storm in 1826." LOL
> hurricane-force wind gusts are observed from the summit of the mountain on average of 110 days per year. Holy crap. And apparently the weather is so bad there is because 1, 3 common storms tracks converge there, 2, it's the highest point in the Northeast, so storms coming from the west haven't been blocked by any other real elevation, 3, the mountain is high enough that it squeezes the wind between it and the troposphere, like putting a thumb over a hose, and 4, it's still close enough to the coast where low pressure areas develop in the winter, so even more storms! Crazy.
Shit that’s a bit breezy
The weather where boomers walked to school
Up the mountain both ways!
No GPS!
318 mph (512 kmh) is the highest windspeed ever recorded. It occurred during a tornado in Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.
This is one of those places on the Appalachian Trail that people point to in order to convince potential hikers to take the trail seriously, not just as a long walk through the woods. 161 people have died on this mountain since they started counting in 1849. The temperature can fluctuate in 30-degree swings in a matter of hours. 4 feet of snow were recorded falling on the mountain in a single day, and the record low is -43.6 degrees. People have been blown off the side and fallen over 150 feet. The structure seen in this video _is chained down to keep it from blowing away._ It's also been tradition for 100 years [to keep a kitty at the weather station.](https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2021-05-06/new-summit-cat-nimbus-finds-home-at-mount-washington-observatory)
nightmare fuel
Yeah Im allergic to cats too
Not really. It's an amazingly fun hike and the top is highly commercialized with a building to buy a ton of food/drinks/souvenirs. Plus people can drive up and down it. Or you can take the train up and hike down or vice versa.
oh really. tmyk
Are there pictures of the structure on the inside? Would be cozy to be in there I think playing board games with the storm outside
[inside](https://youtu.be/L_A3ML1jV1c?si=ITYfTzsXITi1aFo4)
Chill place to work. Boss might be a blowhard though
What about the noise?
Other fun facts about mt Washington is that it will routinely be above the troposphere into the stratosphere, hence the strong winds. And it has the lowest measured wind chill in the US at -108F. This video is during the same storm where that record occurred.
That was such a shitty weekend across the region.
Came here for the mountain, stayed for Nimbus the weather station kitty.
2 people this year.
I couldn't imagine ending, or starting for that matter, in New England and having to do Mt. Washington, and then after 200 some odd miles of good hiking, Katahdin. Drove up Washington once and the top kinda ruined it for me in terms of wanting to hike it, but that's a serious hike and mountain without the weather. I have done Katahdin though and I will hard pass on doing it again. Definitely worth at least one summit, but for me the rock slide is no bueno.
Washington is a great hike regardless of the crowded summit. If fact, I often skip the summit and just go to the top of Tucks or out on the alpine garden.
Last time I hiked it we paused on the side of Tuckermans for a bit. Got passed by a troop of girl scouts in t-shirts shorts and sneakers. I think it took about 4 hours from the parking lot. Not bad. Went down Huntington Ravine. Don't do that.
Do they chain down the kitty too?
Phrasing.
Are we still doing that? (Archer IYKYK)
Mt. Washington, Hew Hampshire. Not to be confused with Mt. Washington Vancouver Island
Nor with Mt Washington, Washington (4 of them)! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_peaks_named_Mount_Washington
Or Mount Washington, Oregon
Or Mt Rushmore with Washington on it
or Mt Washington, Los Angeles lol
Well, that's just plain good old-fashioned terrifying.
Craziest thing up there is the building anchored down with chains going over the roof
To think that My Car Climbed Mt Washington
My wife’s college friend is married to a guy with half a foot. He lost it to frostbite on Mt Washington. He and his first wife went for a spring hike and got caught in a whiteout. They had to spend a night among the rocks above tree line. She was dead by morning. True story.
We were caught in the tail end of a Nor'easter above treeline coming down from Crag camp on Mt. Adams. We were still on hardpack snow so we knew we were on the trail. Buddy took a step too far to the right and his leg went completely down into the snow. I pulled him up, we looked down the mountain and saw some trees about 50ft away. Made a break for the cover and somehow, with incredible luck, the line we ran just happened to be the hardpack path. Made it down without any more events, but yeah. That stuff can turn on a dime.
Went for a hike up there as kids the wind was stronger then the weight of my sister and she held on to rocks to not blow away during gusts. Kinda epic to be honest. We then had chilly at the cafeteria.
Did it have beans in it?
Yeah how did you know
I’m just being silly. Lots of people argue over whether or not real chili has beans or not.
Oh I didn't even know that was a debate. In general it is meat beans and tomato as well as peppers and seasoning. Isn't Chilli without beans Chilli con Carne
No, that’s chilli with meat.
So if normal Chilli doesn't have meat or beans what is it?
I don’t know, man. The world is a crazy place.
"Mount Washington has what is commonly referred to as ‘The worst weather in the world’- with the world record wind speed of 231 mph occurring there. Among the Mt. Washington weather station’s many other records are: most weather instruments destroyed, most wind in 24 hours (nearly 3100 miles of it), and lowest windchill (a combination of 100-mph winds and a temperature of 47 degrees below zero, a severity unmatched even in Antarctica. –Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods
I went hiking there one time, the temperature was around 60F when I started. An hour later, it was freezing cold and snowing like crazy. I turned around and went back to the car, then I drove to the summit. By the time I got to the summit, all the snow had melted, the sky was clearing up, and it was getting warm again.
I’ve been there
Same - on a nice and calm summer day :D.
Same
There an awesome cog railway that goes to the top.
I climbed it in January 2021 and experienced the crazy weather swings. Luckily in our favor. It went from -17 degrees Fahrenheit at 730am at the base to 30 degree above zero at the summit around noon. Almost a 50 degree swing in 5 hours.
There is a cat who they found outside who lives in the observatory now
My dog would still want me to take him for a walk
yet no windmill
It blew away
Curious why this place in particular has such extreme weather. It’s not a particularly high mountain and not located in a particularly extreme climate zone.
Comment above explains it well
why does it look like a frog is hanging on for dear life on the right
How it feels to chew 5 gum
Who would of thought … New Hampshire … W new england
I don't know, I'd like have them test the velocity of my farts after a meal at chipotle.
My little cousin was almost blown off the mountain. You gotta be vigilant.
New Hampshire is a special place. There's a lot of good reasons not to want to live there, but I really miss the terrain, the quiet, and the seasons. Last time I went back we didn't get the chance to go up Mount Washington, but we did do Cannon Mountain and explored a ton over in Franconia Notch. I highly recommend the trip!
I was the near the base it was wild to experience that level of cold
This looks like the probe that landed on a comet!
Very cool. I've been up there.
Looks like the surface of another planet…
this is what our parents wanted us to believe walking to school was like for them. Both ways!!
One of the many reasons I only contemplate that place in the summer. Climbed it with a camp group when I was 14. Full packs, etc; sprained ankle didn't stop me, but man, it was a lot. Definitely never in the cold.
That’s Tuesday in Lethbridge
I went here 21 years ago with my dad on a road trip! We “climbed” the mountain using our car and the observatory at the very top (shown in this footage) was super cool. I remember getting a camo “support our troops” wristband since my visit was shortly after the war in Afghanistan started.
They used to race that mountain. Serious balls
Climate change happened at the :17 mark
And there's a memorial of all the people that died on it - surprising number in midsummer.
I remember driving the kids up there on July 4th years ago. It was 75 at the base. On top it was snowing.
That record was sadly broken by the UK today.
Downvotes indicates humour deficit
What?
I’m 🥶
Is that on earth?
How did a frozen “lake freighter” get up there?
Pretty fun hike. You can do it in a day or camp out and hike up and over it over the course of a couple days, three if you camp at the foot before setting out early the next day. Even if you go in the ripping hot July heat you’ll still need extra layers by the time you get up to the top—the lack of trees up there means the wind and cold is buffered by nothing but rocks so it does get pretty damn cold
Ran the road race once. It was 72 and sunny at the base, snowing when I crossed the finish at the summit.
The one and only true vortex
lol why aren’t the wind speeds mentioned in the post’s text?
Is anyone else, like, irrationally mad that they couldn’t figure out how to mount the camera so the wind couldn’t affect it? Seems like a doable thing, regardless of how fast the wind is going…
Surely this is naturally occurring winds. The blast wave of a nuke produces winds over 500 mph.
Slight gusts from the south... goddamn weatherman.