I survived the Great Snowy Blowy Blizzard of 2016!
Back in January, the Great Snowy Blowy Blizzard of 2016 (more formally known as Winter Storm Jonas) dumped more than two feet of snow on New York City. I passed the time by cooking soup, baking bread, and peeking out of my snow-encrusted windows to watch the gray fury blasting about in every direction.
I survived the Great Snowy Blowy Blizzard of 2016!
Back in January, the Great Snowy Blowy Blizzard of 2016 (more formally known as Winter Storm Jonas) dumped more than two feet of snow on New York City. I passed the time by cooking soup, baking bread, and peeking out of my snow-encrusted windows to watch the gray fury blasting about in every direction.
The day after the blizzard, calmness came over the city. The sun shone warmly, the air was still, and everyone in my neighborhood trudged to the park to sled, throw snowballs, and build snowmen. I grabbed my cross-country skis and joined the fun—after I dug out my car, that is.
As I skied along footpaths and broke trail through thick drifts, people stopped and stared, children pointed, and faces froze in surprise. I was confused. What was going on? Why were people stunned at the sight of me?
Then it hit me. I was the first cross-country skier most of my neighbors had ever seen in person. In a city with far more roads and sidewalks than trails, skiing is an understandably rare sport. Add in the fact that large numbers of New Yorkers came here from warmer climates and that most of us live in tiny apartments with little storage space for seasonal sporting equipment, and you start to understand why seeing a cross-country skier would stop folks in their tracks.
It was a thrill to float on top of the deep snow on my skis and turn heads as if I wielded powerful magic. After this first ski of the season, I’m eager to get up to the Catskills (Windham and Hunter Mountains offer discounted tickets) or the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail in Westchester to ski some more. All season long, I Ski NY offers information and deals on ski passes, lessons, and special events for cross country, downhill skiing and snowboarding throughout New York State. If you have a 3rd or 4th grader in your family, they can ski for free!
If you prefer to avoid the crowds, try cross-country skiing in your own woodlot. You’ll get great exercise, and you’ll get a new perspective on your land in winter as you glide along.
