A new study from Vermont State University found that ice climbing brings more than $6 million and 12,000 visitors annually to the Mount Washington Valley. Until now, it wasn’t clear how much that aspect of winter tourism contributed to the local economy.
Ben Mirkin, an avid ice climber and professor at Vermont State University's Lyndon campus, said putting a number to ice climbing’s economic impact could be helpful in ongoing conversations about the Conway Scenic Railroad, which is often used by climbers to get to their routes. In many spots, there are no hiking trails and crossing train tracks is the only way to access climbing spots.
But over the past few years, the train has been running more frequently in the winter.
“We access a lot of our ice climbing in Crawford Notch, which is part of the Mount Washington Valley,” he said. “We access a lot of that ice climbing by walking on the railroad tracks. And with the train running, that became really scary.”
But representatives from the railroad said climbers using the railroad at any time is not okay.
“Railroad trespassing is dangerous, illegal and stupid,” said Brian Solomon, Manager of Marketing & Events at Conway Scenic Railroad.
Friends of the Ledges, a nonprofit committed to promoting climbing in the White Mountains, encouraged Mirkin to investigate the impact of the ice climbing industry, he said. The group and other advocates wanted more information to bring to legislators to help find a solution for climbers dealing with the increased railroad activity.
“My hope is that [the study] can help legislators to justify talking to the railroads, getting involved and trying to formalize safe and legal access for ice climbers to these resources,” he said.
Solomon said the railroad would be open to some of these actions "if somebody is willing to subsidize and pay for that.”
Mirkin said this could potentially look like building alternative hiking trails to reduce conflict with the rail or drawing up a conservation easement to protect access.
Mirkin said with climate change, ice climbing has been moving north, with the sport growing more difficult in more southern states.
“Ice climbing has been increasing rapidly with growth and interest and been a huge boon for the North Conway and Crawford Notch and Littleton areas,” he said.
Still, he said, climate change is altering winter here too.
“While nobody's immune, we're a little more climate resilient because we're further north,” he said.
The study also found that the industry supports 36 jobs and generates $4.4 million in annual GDP.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation overall in New Hampshire generated almost $3.9 billion and supported over 30,000 jobs in 2023.
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