Peak Chic | Up Close

Tom Padham suiting up for his job in winter is a little like a firefighter donning turnout gear. Both must protect themselves from head to toe against an extreme environment, which for Padham is the Northeast’s highest summit (where last January saw 127 mph gusts and a wind chill of -65). True, Padham can take his time getting dressed, since he’s a meteorologist and not a first responder. On the other hand, he and his coworkers at New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Observatory have to do this every hour round the clock in order to make their weather observations and de-ice the instruments.

“We’re not outside very long, but it’s in conditions worse than what most people experience in their lifetime,” says Padham (shown left), now in his fifth year on the summit. “It gets cold enough to cause frostbite in under two minutes.”

That said, here’s Padham’s typical bundling-up checklist: thick socks, insulated boots with microspikes, long underwear, fleece pants, ski pants, one or more polypropylene shirts, fleece top, down jacket, water-resistant parka, face mask, balaclava, beanie, glove liners, gloves or mittens, and goggles. Oh, and a headlamp comes in handy, too.

Even for a small staff (just six work at the summit in winter), that’s a lot of gear. Luckily for the nonprofit observatory, founded in 1932, many outfitters are glad to supply products in exchange for world’s-worst-weather bragging rights: Julbo, Kahtoola, Princeton Tec, and especially New Hampshire–based Eastern Mountain Sports, which provides most of the outdoor clothing. In the spirit of inclusiveness, EMS even made a snowsuit for the observatory’s resident Maine coon cat, Marty—but we hear no one dares make him wear it. —Jenn Johnson