WATCH: Mount Washington Alpine Resort isn’t releasing any specific numbers but is saying the crowds seen over the holidays are five times the size of a normal week day.
The large holiday crowds visiting Mount Washington have been filling up many of the parking lots, but the bluebird skies and great winter conditions have most people forgetting about that as soon as they hit the hill.
“Yeah I mean where would you rather be in the winter time than up here where everyone’s just smiling having a great time,” said snowboarder Joe Schnurr.
Officials say crowds of 5,000 to 7,000 people have been on the mountain during the busiest days, compared to a normal weekday crowd of about 1,200 people.
“So what we would certainly suggest is when you’re coming up to visit us during this period, carpool or check our shuttle schedule,” said Mount Washington spokesperson Sheila Rivers. “It’s a really easy, stress-free way to get to the mountain. You can pick it up in town or you can pick it up at the base of the mountain.”
There was a day of rain over the holidays but that only served to pack down the base that now sits at about 160 centimetres, fifth deepest in Canada according to officials.
Many people are on the mountain to celebrate New Year’s Eve and there is no shortage of events planned.
“We’ve got kids magician parties, there’s a youth tube park party that runs late,” said Rivers. “We have snowshoe fondue, we’ve got a three-course dinner series at Eagle View, of course, we’ve got the Ted’s Big Bang for 19 plus and early New Year’s Eve fireworks. Fireworks start about 9 p.m. It’s a great time to get your kids up, they can experience the fireworks and get home in time for bed.”
Dean Stoltz
