Snow Business: Boston Anchor Cross-Country Skis to Work During Historic Nor'easter

When a powerful nor’easter turned the Boston area into a snow globe, one local news anchor decided the show must go on — even if it meant strapping on skis.

Erika Tarantal of ABC affiliate WCVB made her commute to the station in Dedham, Mass., on February 23 by cross-country skiing through the storm, swapping traffic jams for fresh powder as Winter Storm Hernando walloped the Northeast.

Forecasters at WCVB predicted as much as 24 inches of snow in the region, with wind gusts reaching the strength of a Category 1 hurricane. With roads buried and travel treacherous, Tarantal opted for a distinctly New England solution.

“Here we go!” she said in a video shared from her journey, bundled up against the elements. “[These are] the lengths I will go to not move my car from the covered garage at the hotel to get to work.”

Clipping into her cross-country skis, Tarantal set off past snowdrifts and plows, joking midway through her trek, “And they say the [U.S.] Postal Service goes through anything!”

As whiteout conditions intensified near the station, she laughed, “OK, the station is right over there. I swear!” Moments later, she arrived triumphantly. “Made it to the newsroom!” she cheered as a news van rolled through the snowy lot behind her.

WCVB dubbed it a “Nor’easter commute,” calling Tarantal’s journey a creative solution when the forecast calls for snow: bring your skis.

Tarantal’s commute came as blizzard conditions were reported across the region, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas saw more than two feet of snow, with wind gusts topping 70 mph in several locations.

The system, classified as a nor’easter, is a type of storm that develops along the East Coast with winds coming from the northeast. While they can occur at any time of year, they are most frequent — and often most violent — between September and April.

In Montauk, N.Y., FOX Weather storm specialist Mike Seidel waded through snowdrifts up to his hips during a live broadcast, where 22.5 inches had already fallen. “It’s one for the record books, and we’ve got a ways to go,” he said on air.

Tarantal’s ski-to-work moment quickly became a bright spot in an otherwise punishing storm cycle — a reminder that live television doesn’t stop for snow days.

In a region where winter is practically a personality trait, her cross-country commute felt less like a stunt and more like a badge of honor. When the roads disappear under two feet of snow, sometimes the only way forward is straight through it.