What did it feel like to win runner up for the NY Times Podcast award for your piece?
Honestly, I was just really surprised. At first, I was just really confused and honestly forgot about submitting. Once it finally sunk in, I was just really happy that all of my hard work had paid off and I was able to tell my story to a larger audience.
What was your inspiration for this piece? And, or, what made you want to create it?
Skiing has always been an important part of my life, and I thought telling the story would not only resonate with myself, but also the people around me. The creation of the ski area has been a story close to my heart, so it felt great to be recognized for something so meaningful to me, and that is also a big part of the community surrounding me.
What was your biggest challenge in creating this piece?
The biggest challenge I faced when creating my piece was cutting down all the audio to just 5 minutes. When I interviewed my grandpa, he rambled for about 20 minutes with maybe one breath in between the whole thing. So once I finally cut it down to 5 minutes without cutting anything important, it felt really rewarding.