The Mount Washington Avalanche Center’s public safety priorities are three fold:

  1. Our primary focus from Oct/Nov until the end of May is to provide avalanche safety information for people recreating, working, or traveling in the Presidential Range.
  2. Act as the lead agency for Search and Rescue for the winter months. On December 1st of each year the Forest Service takes over responsibility from the State of New Hampshire for all incidents in the Cutler River Drainage on the east side of Mt. Washington.
  3. Serve as a professional avalanche resource for people seeking assistance with snow and avalanche safety in the east. MWAC staff and volunteers assist with research projects, present avalanche awareness programs, present at avalanche courses, provide information to reporters, work with our volunteer search and rescue groups, and coordinate team-based avalanche and mountain rescue trainings.

We begin daily avalanche forecasts in the fall after enough snow accumulates in the mountains for on-snow travel in the backcountry and continue them until late May.


Jeff Fongemie, Director

jeffrey.fongemie@usda.gov

With over three decades of experience in mountain travel and safety, Jeff serves as the Director of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center. His expertise includes snow science, avalanche forecasting, and technical rescue systems.

Beyond his professional role, Jeff is dedicated to safety in the mountains. He has a longstanding history of volunteering with the Mount Washington Avalanche Center and the Mountain Rescue Service, contributing to search and rescue missions and improving avalanche forecasting techniques. Additionally, Jeff serves as an Adjunct Faculty member at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Wilderness and Austere Medicine Fellowship program, sharing his knowledge with upcoming professionals. He also holds positions as Vice President of the Mountain Rescue Service, Wilderness EMT, and is a member of the American Avalanche Association.

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Patrick Scanlan, Avalanche Forecaster, Snow Ranger

Pat completed undergrad at the University of New Hampshire with a dual B.S. in Environmental Conservation and Kinesiology. He is currently picking away at an graduate degree in engineering and design from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to joining MWAC, he spent time living in Bozeman, Montana, worked as the Hermit Lake Caretaker for two years, worked as a climbing guide, and led 6 years of global backcountry ski trips at a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Academy with young, high-level ski athletes. Patrick’s skiing and climbing resume is filled with personal and guided objectives in Chamonix, La Grave, Alaska, North Cascades, Rocky Mountains, and of course, the Whites. His mountain credentials include Professional Avalanche 1 & 2, AMGA Assistant Ski Guide, AMGA Apprentice Rock and Alpine Guide, and Wilderness EMT. He formerly served as a Board Member for the White Mountain Avalanche Education Foundation and Friends of Tuckerman Ravine and he is a rescue technician for Mountain Rescue Service in North Conway.


Charlotte MacDonald, Avalanche Forecaster, Snow Ranger

Charlotte completed her undergrad in Virginia and received a B. A. from Washington and Lee University. Personal objectives and professional development have taken her into other snowpacks in the Rocky Mountains and Cascades as well as a lot of time spent in the Whites, Vermont, and the Adirondacks. Charlotte’s credentials include Professional Avalanche 1, Wilderness First Responder, Winter Weather Forecasting through the American Avalanche Institute, and an Instructor Training Course through the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. When not on skis, Charlotte enjoys mountain biking and exploring the mountains on foot.


Kate Moynihan, Avalanche Forecaster, Snow Ranger

Kate has been professionally working on snow for over 20 years. Her roles have included patrolling, search and rescue, wilderness expedition guide, backcountry guide and instructing. She was the first female instructor for the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education in the northeast and has taught avalanche education throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. She currently is an adjunct instructor for Vermont State University in the Outdoor Leadership and Tourism department and has been for the past 8 years, specializing in wilderness expeditions, wilderness medicine and whitewater paddling. Kate’s passion for snowboarding and learning has brought her all over North America for professional development including places like Rogers Pass, Banff, the Cascades, the Sawtooths, the Rockies and the Sierras. Her professional credentials include: a B.S. from Westfield State University, Professional Avalanche Level 2, Professional Avalanche Level 1, AIARE Avalanche Instructor, Wilderness EMT, Outdoor Emergency Care Instructor, Wilderness First Responder Instructor and an American Avalanche Association member. When not on snow, Kate enjoys mountain biking and trail running in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.