Big Snow American Dream
The "Switchback" and "Northern Lights" trails at Big Snow American Dream
The "Switchback" and "Northern Lights" trails at Big Snow American Dream
LocationMeadowlands Sports Complex,
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Nearest major cityNew York City
Coordinates40°48′40″N 74°04′12″W / 40.81111°N 74.07000°W / 40.81111; -74.07000
StatusOperating
OwnerSnow Operating
Skiable area4 acres (1.6 ha)
Runs3
Longest runSwitchback – 1,000 feet (300 m)
Lift system4 total (1 quad lift, 1 Poma,
2 magic carpets)
Terrain parksYes
SnowmakingYes
Websitebigsnowamericandream.com

Big Snow American Dream is an indoor skiing and snowboarding park within the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that opened on December 5, 2019.[1]

Big Snow American Dream is the first indoor ski park in North America.[2][3] It is owned by the Triple Five Group and is operated by Snow Operating who also run Mountain Creek Resort.[4]

History

The exterior of the indoor ski slope in 2009
Partial view of the ski slope's exterior in 2020

The American Dream shopping mall was first proposed as Meadowlands Mills in 1994.[5] The mall, later renamed Meadowlands Xanadu, was nearly complete in 2009 when construction stopped due to a lack of funding.[6] The original plans for the mall had included an indoor ski slope, which was advertised as the United States' first indoor Alpine ski resort.[7] On February 1, 2011, following a month of heavy snowfall, observers found that 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 m) of the slope's eastern wall had been damaged, and a horizontal crease had formed on the wall.[8] Two days later, as workers tried to melt the snow on the ski slope's roof, about 150 feet (50 m) of the eastern wall had collapsed under the weight of the snowfall accumulation.[9][10]

In May 2011, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority formalized an agreement with Triple Five Group, which assumed ownership of the mall and renamed it "American Dream". The ski slope would continue to be built as part of the agreement.[11][12] The ski slope was rebranded "Big Snow" in 2015.[13]

In 2018, Triple Five announced that the ski slope would open the following December as part of the mall's phased opening, which would take place between 2019 and 2020.[11] In advance of the opening, Big Snow hired 300 workers.[2][14] On December 5, 2019, Big Snow American Dream opened with an event attended by skiers and snowboarders such as Donna Weinbrecht, Lindsey Vonn, Red Gerard, and Ben Ferguson.[15][16][17] The opening of a portion of Big Snow was delayed until the following week.[15]

In the early hours of September 25, 2021, part of the ski slope caught on fire. However, there were no reported injuries.[18] Big Snow reopened on May 27, 2022, eight months after the incident.[19]

Attractions

The "Lil' Dipper" beginner trail

The 4-acre (1.6 ha) park is covered with 5,500 tons of snow, packed to a depth of 2 feet (0.61 m) and is open year-round. There are three trails: a beginner trail called "Lil' Dipper", an intermediate trail called "Switchback", and an advanced trail called "Northern Lights". There is also a terrain park.[20][1] The trails are served by four lifts: two carpet lifts serving the Lil Dipper, and a quad chairlift and platter surface lift serving Northern Lights and Switchback. Both lifts were manufactured by Doppelmayr-CTEC in 2008. The slopes are 1,000 feet (300 m) long, covering an altitude of 160 feet (49 m) with a maximum pitch of 26%.[1][21]

Its climate-controlled environment is at a consistent 28 °F (−2 °C).[4] Guests are able to get skiing and snowboarding lessons.[17][22] To prevent overcrowding, guests book tickets for time slots in advance.[17]

The park also has a gourmet hot chocolate shop called Joe C's Hot Cocoa.[1][22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pries, Allison (November 26, 2019). "Trail map for American Dream mall's ski park shows what it will look like inside". NJ.com. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Pries, Allison (November 7, 2019). "American Dream's huge indoor ski slope is hiring 300 workers". nj. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Big Snow American Dream Opening". skitheworld.com. 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Pries, Alison (October 11, 2019). "16-story indoor ski slope at American Dream opens soon. Here's what it'll cost you". NJ.com. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ Hendry, Cheryl Ann. "Finding Nature in an Industrial Swamp: A Case Study of New Jersey's Hackensack Meadowlands", p. 196, Montana State University, 2017.
  6. ↑ Pristin, Terry (May 19, 2009). "Xanadu, a New Jersey Mall, May Be Too Big to Fail". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Lauren (October 22, 2019). "More than 17 years in the making, American Dream megamall's story was shaped by retail's upheaval". CNBC. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  8. ↑ Brennan, John (February 5, 2011). "Ice buildup causes wall to buckle at Xanadu's snow dome - NorthJersey.com". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ↑ Lamendola, Michael (February 10, 2011). "Protective wall, roof damaged at Xanadu ski dome". NorthJersey.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ↑ Hurley, Amanda Kolson (October 9, 2015). "Does America Need Another Giant Mall?". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Katzban, Nicholas (November 12, 2018). "See the progress on the American Dream water park, now taking shape". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ Henry, Samantha (May 3, 2011). "Xanadu mall project to get new name, big expansion". New Jersey Herald. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  13. ↑ Stainton, Lilo H. (September 22, 2015). "Explainer: American Dream Starting to Come True in the Meadowlands?". NJ Spotlight. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  14. ↑ Porpora, Tracey (November 7, 2019). "American Dream's Big Snow hiring 300 people". silive. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Pries, Allison (December 5, 2019). "Indoor ski slope at American Dream is open. Here's a first look inside". nj.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Grand opening: Big SNOW American Dream to open to public today at American Dream". newjersey.news12.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 "'The snow is perfect:' Indoor ski slope opens at American Dream". North Jersey. December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. ↑ NJ.com, Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for; NJ.com, Josh Solomon | NJ Advance Media for (September 25, 2021). "Fire breaks out at the American Dream mall ski slope, but no injuries reported". nj. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  19. ↑ Munoz, Daniel. "American Dream's Big Snow indoor ski slope reopens, eight months after fire". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Here's The Trail Map For American Dream's Indoor Ski Park". Wyckoff, NJ Patch. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Big Snow American Dream, NJ". December 5, 2019.
  22. 1 2 Redmond, Kemberly (November 26, 2019). "Heres The Trail Map For American Dreams Indoor Ski Park". patch.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
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