Queens kids head for the hills after biggest snowfall in 5 years

The terrain in Forest Hills is perfectly suited to a snow day. Eagle photo by Rachel Vick

By Rachel Vick

Queens kids of all ages let loose on Tuesday, taking a break from indoor isolation to slide and sled as blizzard conditions slowed to flurries.

At the popular sledding spot on Deepdene Road in Forest Hills, more than a dozen toboggan-toting tots took turns on the hill. They needed a break from remote learning on the not-quite-a-snow-day, parents said.

“Yesterday I thought we’d play hooky, but it was so blustery we waited for today to have our big snow play day,” said Dana Wilson, who accompanied her first grader.

Online classes from P.S. 101 were scheduled to end around 11 a.m. but Wilson let her daughter skip math class when she wanted to help dig out the car.  Her daughter’s teacher “is in full support of a full-blown snow day,” Wilson said. 

While some parents looked on from the top of the hill or retreated to the warmth of their cars, others borrowed sleds and built snow forts to the joy of young spectators. Others helped build snowmen with the abundance of fresh powder.

Marcy Jacobowitz said her kids needed to hit the slopes after months of indoor school.

“They zoomed only until 11:30 and let them have the rest of the day, but I would have let him come out this afternoon anyway,” Jacobowitz said of her son, currently a sixth grader at Solomon Schechter.

He took full advantage of the pristine slopes, sliding head first.

“It’s really fun,” said 11-year-old Dylan Kessler, who gave the Eagle an inside scoop on the conditions. 

“Yesterday I wasn’t going to come out, but today wasn’t as bad,” he said. “It’s very slippery and when it’s slippery you go faster —  it’s even better.”