IT CAN get pretty cold on the summit of Mount Washington, or Agiocochook as Native Americans call it. The New Hampshire peak stands at 1917 metres and is the highest in north-eastern US. It also has the distinction of hosting the Mount Washington Observatory, which was the world's first mountaintop weather station. Meteorological data has been gathered there since 1870.
Hard rime – the combs of ice seen in this image –features large. This kind of ice forms when water in the air freezes to rocks or trees facing into the wind. As well as being cold – it was -44 °C when this photo was taken in March – it gets windy. In 1934 the observatory clocked what was until 1996 the world's fastest recorded wind speed, 372 kilometres per hour. If you visit, don't forget to wrap up warm.
This article appeared in print under the headline "A chill wind"
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