“The most logical thing we could do was use land that was regulated for parking,” said Dave Hampshire, Director of Public Relations at the Alpine Resort. “We had to say goodbye to the old RV lot.”
The RV lot was perched on the edge of the mountain, just before the main parking lot, with arguably the best view on the property, overlooking Discovery Passage. A decade ago, it was filled with fifth wheels that staff members parked for the winter, then added onto with makeshift entryways, plywood additions and tarped areas. These semi-permanent additions were often discarded once the ski season was over, leaving an unsightly mess behind, Hampshire said.
“It was mostly staff that lived there until a couple of years ago,” he said. “Then it was mandated that every unit had to be able to move every day. That discouraged people from building onto their units and abandoning them at the end of the season.”
Hampshire said there is no longer anywhere to park an RV at Mount Washington for overnight camping. “There are very few resorts North America-wide that have RV parks … the land is just too valuable.”
The land where the RV lot used to be is also zoned for condominiums, so the area will only be temporarily used for parking, he added.