North Conway, NH in "Mount Washington Valley: Through The Ears" with Sarah Eastman and Karen Cummings

In this episode of the 603podcast, Dan Egan sits down with Sarah Eastman and Karen Cummings to unpack “Mount Washington Valley: Through The Ears,” a vibrant collection of Mountain Ear newspaper stories from 1976–2005 that detail how the unique community of North Conway became a world-class destination. This conversation moves from railroads and grand hotels to artists selling hand-painted “postcards,” then onto five historic ski areas and the ingenious Cranmore Skimobile that still lives in local memory.

We explore the people who built the culture like Joe Dodge and the AMC hut system that stitched the Presidential Range into reachable segments, and the Eastern Slope Ski Club, a volunteer engine that teaches every elementary school child to ski and quietly seeds future Olympians. Along the way, we revisit the Spring Champagne Stampede and the Mud Bowl—events that turned low-snow years and shoulder seasons into fundraisers and folklore—plus the Volvo International tennis era that put North Conway on national TV without sanding off its edges.

Eastman and Cummings discuss the valley’s heartbeat and offer practical wisdom: respect Mount Washington’s dangerous weather, start with short hikes, ride the tourist train to feel the past, wander the village where the station’s towers frame the mountain, and let the Saco River and the notches reset your sense of New England. Sarah and Karen share how they sifted thousands of features to preserve the characters and places that defined a community—proof that storytelling can hold a town together long after the presses stop.

You can purchase Mount Washington Valley: Through the Ears from Bondcliff Books, the local bookstore.

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