Conditions Report
It is June and the 23/24 season is close to being truly over in North America, with only two ski resorts still open. With America’s singular summer-only ski resort Beartooth Basin, Montana, not operating this summer, the options are quickly thinning out but fret not, there is a year round option available: Big SNOW, New Jersey. Big SNOW is an indoor ski center located inside the American Dream mega-mall in East Rutherford, which offers year round skiing on four acres of terrain.
I had the chance to visit Big SNOW last week while on holiday in NYC. Our writer Gregg told me to pack ski socks and gloves, and the rest would be arranged. I hopped into a cab in Soho on Monday morning with two teenagers in tow and was at the mall in less than half an hour. Now, if you have not been to American Dream, let me paint you a picture: there is a Shrek-themed waterpark, a Nickelodeon-themed indoor amusement park with fairground rides (sadly, some celebrity had booked it for a private party that day), miniature golf, laser tag, restaurants, and shops. Shops, shops, shops — from Louis Vuitton to H&M, there is something for every budget. We spent a total of nine hours at the mall and did not see everything there is to see (let alone do everything there is to do).
I sent the teenagers off to the waterpark for two hours since we had time before our allocated skiing slot, and I used the opportunity to caffeinate and meet our SnowBrains team members Gregg and Liam. I also used the opportunity to check out Big SNOW from the outside. Located in the amusement section of the mall on Level 2, Big SNOW appears unassuming from inside the mall but is easily spotted from outside. Once the teens were done swimming, they simply took the escalator up and went from tropical swimming to 28°F winter wonderland.
The rental process is easy and straightforward and the shop layout is designed to self-guide through the process. However, friendly staff is around to help you at all times. We first donned our rental clothes, then tried out boots and helmets and picked up skis and poles outside. The whole package for a 2-hour rental plus skiing is only $99 so it’s really quite the bargain! The clothes are in clean, good condition and are adjustable to fit you. We tried on a few sizes to get the right fit. The boots and skis were all by Head and there was no choice in flex or type of ski but I guess that would complicate things massively and we were here for two hours of fun. If you want to get serious, definitely bring your own gear and the vast majority of people visiting that day came with their own boards and skis.
Once on the snow, it weirdly struck us how cold it was. This may sound stupid, yes, of course it needs to be cold for the snow to stay, but it still came as a bit of a surprise after the relatively warm rental area. Definitely wear your normal layers underneath. The rental jacket is just a shell, so my gym gear underneath felt a bit chilly, but we had not traveled to NYC with proper ski gear and had to make do with what we brought. Just like that, we were back in winter and it was fun to watch a group of snowboarders passionately carving down the 1,000-foot main run as we made our way up on the chairlift.
Going up made me realize that I should have brought goggles, but they did not come with the rental pack, and I had not traveled to New York with ski goggles, so I had to put up with watering eyes for the time being.
Going down made me realize that the rental skis were not well waxed, and I ran out of momentum halfway down while Gregg and Liam flew past me, who had brought their own gear. We had a good laugh about it, and it is understandable that the skis are sufficient for the typical user of rental gear.
I enjoyed watching the die-hards and beginner skiers who had made their way to Big SNOW on a random June Monday. There were undoubtedly several loyal repeat customers and if I lived in the tri-state area, I would certainly be bringing my own gear like them. There were also plenty of beginner skiers with instructors learning to ski or board and that was equally fun to see. Big Snow makes the perfect place to learn to ski or board, especially if you have kids and you want them to be mountain-ready for the next season. It is just so much more convenient and cheaper for a beginner skier to travel less than an hour to Big SNOW to check out if skiing or boarding is for you. The slope access day pass is only $59.99 for adults, and kids under six are free with an accompanying adult.
On Monday nights, Big SNOW offers a race night with prizes awarded to the top 3 in each age category. The indoor ski center lends itself to gate training and working on technical drills for aspiring alpine racers. The terrain park lets you work on your tricks over the summer, so plenty of fun for freestyle skiers as well.
The rental return after we were done skiing was even easier, with plenty of racks to return your gear to. There are free lockers to store your belongings while you are on the snow and an extensive shop front if you forgot to bring anything for the day or want to purchase your own gear. There are also cute souvenirs with the Big SNOW yeti mascot.
We went for a team lunch in one of the many restaurants nearby, and the teenagers spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. It was an incredibly fun day out and we made a whole-day excursion out of it. If you live in the tri-state area, and are looking for a fun family day out, I highly recommend heading to Big SNOW.
PHOTOS
Fun play areas for little snow lvoers. | Image: Julia Schneemann
