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In the Mountains, You Don’t Complain About the Snow

Uptown Radio

Host 1: Last month was the coldest February on record since 1934. In the city, that meant dangerous ice on the roads, freezing winds, and never-ending piles of dirty snow. Now, those piles are melting.

Host 2: But before we fully embrace the end of winter and the beginning of spring, Pola Lem and Camille von Kaenel sent us this postcard from Hunter Mountain in the Catskills.

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AMBI Chair lift

VON KAENEL: Tell me your name.

RIALLY My name is Hernie Rially. I’m a ski patroller at Hunter Mountain. We are approaching Tower Seven on a six-pack, also known as the Catskill Flyer. It’s been the most consistent ski conditions we’ve had in years. We’ve had packed powder for about two months straight now due to the cold weather.

VON KAENEL And… in the city, a lot of people are complaining about the snow.

RIALLY Complaining about the snow? Up here, that’s like complaining you have too much money. Snow is everything to us up here. To your left and to your right, right on this chair is just a bunch of addicts that pray for snow. And everytime it snows, you just put a big smile on your face because you know you’re going to have great ski conditions.

VON KAENEL We’re reaching the top here.

AMBI Getting off the chair lift

VON KAENEL To Hellgate.

AMBI Skiing

LEM The wind is kind of rising up like steam over a kettle.

VON KAENEL Yeah, that’s a good metaphor. And there’s all these grasses, it kind of looks like a hairy bald guy.

LEM Laugh.

AMBI Icy skiing and wind

LEM And the slopes are starting to be a little more icy.

AMBI More icy skiing.

LEM The snow is coming down. It kind of looks like…

VON KAENEL Kind of nice, heavy flakes. Like fully-formed flakes.

LEM Yeah…

LEM My right calf is starting to hurt.

VON KAENEL My quads are so sore.

AMBI More skiing

LEM We’re halfway down the slope and at the tail end of the ski season.

VON KAENEL The sun has come up for our last run.

LEM But the snow will probably be around for a while still. It’s been a good year.

VON KAENEL Now we’re off for some hot chocolate.

LEM I’m Pola Lem.

VON KAENEL I’m Camille von Kaenel.

LEM Columbia Radio News.

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