Indoor Ski Resort Review: Big Snow American Dream

A comprehensive review of New Jersey's Big Snow American Dream, the only indoor ski resort in North America. Filmed in November 2022.
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0:00 Intro
0:58 Resort Size and Layout
1:36 Trail Difficulties
2:19 Terrain Park
2:31 First-Timer Beginner Setup
2:54 Lifts
3:14 Snow Quality
3:56 Crowds
4:42 Operating Hours
5:18 Indoor Scents
5:54 Year-Round Schedule
6:10 Summer Operations
6:35 Nearby Activities
7:09 2-Hour Ticket Access
7:35 Monthly Subscription Access
7:59 Rental Packages
8:21 Getting There
9:09 Lodging
9:35 Aprés-ski
10:02 Verdict
10:43 Score Breakdown and Rank
Overall Mountain Score: 36/100
---
Snow: 3/10
Resiliency: 10/10
Size: 1/10
Terrain Diversity: 1/10
Challenge: 1/10
Lifts: 3/10
Crowd Flow: 4/10
Facilities: 3/10
Navigation: 10/10
Mountain Aesthetic: 0/10
See our full resort breakdown and written review for Big Snow American Dream here: www.peakrankings.com/content/...
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[@zennok]

Love the 100% straightlaced review despite comparing an indoor ski place vs mountains

[@arjunski]

The score breakdown was unintentionally hilarious 😂

[@skifast_takechances]

im thinking it was definitely intentional lol

[@SJK-uc6lf]

Poor Hunter Mountain. Just a couple of points higher than this 😂

[@JoshWK21]

The person faceplanting at 2:52 right as you say "easiest terrain" is absolute comedy gold

[@PeakRankings]

Yo 🥲 you have a good eye

[@TheMightyKinkle]

Ahaha good spot

[@nwsportstilidie]

Seems like a great place to learn. Someone who has never skied or snowboarded before can progress there. Enough that they feel comfortable riding beginner chairlifts at an outdoor resort.

[@LesserAndrew]

I agree. I was fortunate to grow up within an hour of a beginner ski area in southwest Michigan. If I hadn't been able to learn in a low stress environment close to home, I don't think I ever would have been interested in traveling to a big resort. This place looks awesome for NYC folks who want to learn to ski before heading to New England.

[@LonecloneProductions]

Yknow I'm sure most advanced skiers will balk at a place like this, but we gotta acknowledge that the sport has a huge learning and accessibility curve, both in terms of price access and the proximity you need to the right geography (even if you just wanna go to a small mom and pop hill). If a place like this can lower that barrier of entry to a lot of people without peeling off a ton of traffic from local hills, I think the sport is better off for it.

[@xXBIGSlilXx]

Great review! I'm actually a regular at Big Snow, skiing there 2 - 5 times recently. While I agree that the target demographic is beginners, they have a great park scene. The setup they have right now is great and there's frequently high level park skiers / boarders there. Also, it's not mountain aesthetic, but the view of the NYC skyline is one of my favorite views of the drive to / from any resort out there.

[@Godsoldier]

if your a park Rat, the place is Gold, Never been there but to be able to hit features with a short drive can be a game changer.

[@Lucasrg729]

My 2nd time skiing a snowboarder carved infront of me from across the slope and i did a backflip

[@mbtravel7294]

Great place to cool off on a hot day. I noticed the same thing as you , the lift operator wasn't filling the chair up with people not making good use of the quad

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

LOL - love the ending. Top score for indoor ski resorts! Yeah, it really deserves its own category, not really fair to compare it against a real mountain. Although, I would have loved something like this in Florida.

[@wyattstackle5087]

Very interesting in how the ranking was not far behind the likes of other east-coast ressorts.

[@dukebox8]

Ice coast represent

[@PeakRankings]

Year-round ops and unbeatable reliability (remember, this is ice coast we’re talking about) will do that for ya 😜

[@gr8s8tn]

I appreciate having this place just a short drive away. It gives me an opportunity to refresh muscle memory in the off-season. I find two hour session to be just enough for that. Two issues you haven’t mentioned yet they hit me each time I’m there: weird light temperature and rather loud and constant noise of the cooling system. In my experience lift traffic moves rather quickly even without liftie’s intervention. I don’t know what it’s like in late afternoons and on weekends, though, as I avoid these times. “Unique feature” of Big Snow lift line are people skiing/skating straight to the head of the line. Uneducated beginners? Hunter ranked just above Big Snow? This shall change, I guess, once reviews are in for Mountain Creek, Mount Peter and Campgaw….. An afterthought: each time I’m there I wonder: how can a person loose a life there….yet it happened last year…..

[@vipahman]

Big Snow is a great place for beginners. Period! I think it is great for the masses in NYC who want to get in on the action.

[@PeakRankings]

Definitely!

[@alexconrad2904]

Big Snow confirmed almost as good as Hunter

[@cccodddyy]

This review was great, thank you!

[@michaellurie9138]

Sweet! I was just there Wednesday, August 16. Great warm up for the real season.

[@PeakRankings]

Agreed!

[@DoggoWillink]

I’ve fixed the fans for the wave pool here. Crazy place. The maintenance boss is a super cool dude. He took us through the water park and amusement park. I’ve never been to the skiing area though.

[@Gary-np7hl]

i'd love to have a place like this here in phx. the amount of park laps you could get in is the key. a place like this is either great for beginners or goofing around in the park. if you're not doing either it'll get pretty boring real quick. i was wondering when PR was going to do smaller resorts, wasn't thinking this small tho. another great job by PR

[@jamesrausse7255]

Great review. There are daily buses that go there, but they drop you off between parking lots, a giant staircase entrance, and Brendan Byrne Arena. I took it there with my gear, and while cumbersome, you can definitely there. Problem is, you have to walk to the opposite end from an enormous mall, which takes at least 10 minutes. Still better than walking from the outermost lots at Northstar.

[@intellectualsemipoeticbullshit]

Nice review Also first

[@collinparsons3363]

Many people ride the New Jersey Transit train to Secaucus and then take Uber or Lyft to the mall. Don't do this on stadium days though, as you can expect to wait up to 2 hours for a car after the event ends. Also, on stadium days, you will need to pay the stadium parking rate (up to 60 dollars), unless you validate your ticket to get the normal 5 dollar rate.

[@PeakRankings]

Great callout on the validation.

[@David-uj2ms]

Thx for the heads up!!!

[@fastbladeproductions7961]

You have to check out Belleayre Mt. in New York.... state run ski resort that has a real and new, really nice, gondola ... in my opinion the best ski resort within 2+/- hours from NYC which is nice for me... we also ski Mountain Creek... it's a great ski resort when they have snow only being an hour away from the city... longest run is 2 miles (when there is snow) average run is a mile... we go all the time there since it's so so close to NYC... thanks for all the vids.. really appreciate them...

[@PeakRankings]

We plan to get to it soon!

[@fidel2xl]

Decent option for skiing during the ski-OFF season (Spring, Summer, most of Autumn)...but during the Winter season, there are a couple of good options of real ski slopes close to NYC, such as Mt. Peter which is about an hour outside the city. But this indoor Ski slope, although lacking the truly authentic experience, is a pretty good option during the Summer months etc.

[@jeffbrown321]

Love the 10 for ease of navigation

[@treesnmoguls]

Thanks, never heard of this place! Good for basic beginners to get a feel for the sport. Anyone that's been to any kind of resort will get bored by the second run, LOL!

[@benlewinter144]

Actually the NJ Transit 355 bus runs every day from NYC Port Authority, with extra frequency on weekends, not bad! Get a few turns, drink a beer, then get back on the bus

[@PeakRankings]

Great callout!

[@meomeomeomeow]

There is a reason why they don’t fill the chairs, 4 beginner snowboarders squeezed on that chair is a bad idea, the place is mostly beginners.

[@jaymillz212]

There is always access you can get on the 355 bus from port authority.. it’s 18$ round trip for adults and 9$ for children over 3.. the bus runs every hour both ways.. it’s a 12 min straight trip to the mall.. I go all the time with my kids

[@TheMohawkTrucker]

Can you do a rating of mont Rigaud in Quebec?

[@johnplayz1689]

PLEASE REVIEW STOWE!! It’s my favorite mountain😢

[@PeakRankings]

It is coming very soon!

[@PreciousLettuce]

It'd be cool if they could make an indoor skiing area on a bigger scale. For example, a small mountain with full coverage.

[@rundlet1658]

I laughed at "idiot proof" The ski team that I am a part of actually has a camp of pre season training here for before the season starts. I would have considered it but the three hour drive from where I live is just not worth it for a few hours of gates on a green

[@altemose_prime]

I’ve been to Ski Dubai. It was cool. I’m from NJ, but have been living in the Devils Crotch aka Florida, for 23 years. I’m going f to Jersey in March. Maybe I’ll visit.

[@user-nf8ke1rf2u]

Cool

[@williamshieldsgulan1125]

The company that owns this, owns my home mountain. The ice sheat, is it snow or is it dirt... Mountain creek NJ.

[@robdiddy55]

I practice switch in the summer here.

[@Samantha.duckie]

i am a racer, i love super G, and GS, i want to go to big snow this summer just for fun, i am scared i will hurt a beginner

[@sc9573]

do u need to make an appointment to go or whats the best day and time to go?

[@PeakRankings]

Yes, make your reservation here: bigsnow.snowcloud.store/

[@SkiMachineAlpineEngineering]

Nice review however ranking it against Killington does not sound fair... :)

[@ericd8739]

I noticed Big Snow was only 5 points below Hunter Mountain in the overall score; pretty funny. Hunter Mountain isn't that bad...I've been there a couple of times.

[@PeakRankings]

Fair enough! Hunter doesn’t have summer skiing ops though 🥲

[@HistoryOfEnergy]

Would be a good place to learn if it’s cheap but I’d kms if I was stuck here

[@wanderer5200]

Nice review. I think it's a good idea for beginner training only. Could save a lot of time learning to ski in the off season, so people could make the most of the winter months. Still, the fact that it's in NJ is not a plus.

[@gardaramadhito1650]

You’re incorrect about no regular transport from NYC. There is a bus that runs from Port Authority that goes directly to Meadowlands.

[@mxg75]

If they want to make it smell like Waffle Cabin, why not just open a Waffle Cabin? In a small enclosed area, the whole place will smell of waffles organically in short order.

[@TheMightyKinkle]

That's mental than there it's the only indoor ski slope in America! There are at least 5 in England with another 4 planned

[@23JMRH]

No, it’s mental to think a country that actually has huge mountain ranges would need indoor ski slopes.😂

[@TheMightyKinkle]

​@23JMRH Well it will be good for people who live nowhere near them 😊

[@kevinhld5499]

It's so funny to see the score breakdown identical to a "real moutain" by the end. It literally made me laugh. Many visitors to Big Snow are actually students, especially international students, who are mostly beginners, and prefer snowboard more than skis, the soft snow in this resort could be pushed off quickly. But the terrain park set up is interesting enough. If this resort could be re-designed, it will be better to make the first half of the black trail very steep, and mellower towards the end, where half of it is splited to be a terrain park set-up.

[@SnowghostFilms]

Mild nitpick, but I’m not sure if small kids would really enjoy the world’s steepest roller coaster or tallest trapdoor waterslide. Still, the most hilarious score breakdown ever

[@21trips]

What’s the best indoor snow skiing facility in the world?

[@michaelkot5387]

#1 SnowWorld - Landgraaf, The Netherlands. #2 Ski Dubai - Dubai, United Arab Emirates. #3 Chill Factore - Manchester, United Kingdom.#4 Harbin Wanda Indoor Ski and Winter Sports Resort - China. #5 Copenhill - Copenhagen, Denmark.

[@johnprim]

This is to skiing what mini golf is to golfing.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Am I the only one who thinks it would be interesting to see the ways in which "indoor skiing" could grow in the (even if distant) future - ways to go beyind the way it was implemented here? Seems like there are a lot of ways the concept could grow, and it is interesting to think about.

[@ChristianRunsNY]

Other countries have much larger and appealing indoor slopes. Sno in Norway comes to mind as a pretty solid one.

[@jude1245]

89 is ridicoulous my local resort is 85 for my friends who rent and get tickets. I get that it’s nice to have the convenience of it but that’s just a crazy price for what you’re getting.

[@hotelvasthorizon]

I mean, I would totally go if there was one nearby 🤷‍♀

[@austineggers5505]

If we could only get this in Houston.

[@rica3863]

I need somewhere to be idiot-proof thank you 🙌

[@FFLapin]

I’ve been to big snow many times, It’s a fun experience overall, but calling it a “resort” is an enormous stretch.

[@richhanson6285]

What sucks is I believe Big Snow was supposed to be double the size it is. As someone from NJ, I know all about the comical debacle that is American dream/Xanadu. This entire complex isnt even close to what it was originally sold as.

[@wdstrut]

I’m from the Canadian Rockies, and I’m utterly confused.

[@TracksideViews]

A few hours on the slopes and then leave…I’m going to say 2 hours

[@amblincork]

I guess if a person cant access ski mountain, this would provide some ski 'experience'

[@anonymous134y]

Why do you sound so blown away by an indoor ski park. Theyre everywhere throughout the world...

[@NotHaydenMoss]

The $99 a month to use for the offseason really doesn't sound bad at all

[@matthewbeathe7044]

It seems like it’s more meant for beginner’s

[@gianmarcorinaldi8247]

Man, I would love for you guys to rank the ohio hills lmfao.

[@PeakRankings]

You’ll be seeing some Ohio content sooner than you think.

[@XxSpecOpsxX]

its more crowded during the winter? this makes absolutely zero sense lol just.... go outside, something like this is what i want in the summer when im dying to get a few runs in

[@boilingwateronthestove]

I mean... It is really unfair to compare it with out-door skiing. Like you simply cannot compare it. Obviously it's going to be disappointing compared to out-door skiing. But for what it is as an indoor ski resort. It's quite good.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Imagine if the technology would allow for bigger complexes to become possible (if there are technological hurdles that'd keep things smaller than they could be) - indoor ski resorts definitely have, as a concept, a lot of room to grow.

[@tfed518]

wait. why would anyone think the snow is natural?

[@derekconstantino7759]

If you're a park rat who's in highschool this would be sick. Imagine getting out of school and being able to go to a skatepark on snow for a few hours while not having to go all the way to the mountains.

[@23JMRH]

Skateparks aren’t $50 a pop.

[@AnonymousAccount514]

please build one in California

[@23JMRH]

My guess is those rail lips get crushed within the first hour of the day by all the Jerrys who think they’re cool side hitting??

[@jasoncapecod]

i hope you didn't travel far or spend much to come here..

[@jameszeng2666]

Idiot proof navigation ... I am laughing so hard at that🤣🤣🤣 But ... but, but, as a NJ local, I don't think Big Snow is really that good on resiliency as thin patches, icy spots and bumps can (and do) build up very easily

[@PeakRankings]

Fair enough on resiliency!

[@aca1298]

While I get what you guys were going for, being inclusive for ppl who don't have many other options, I felt this review was a tad disrespectful to real mountains. Just do the review and skip the ranking part! Giving them 10 pts in two categories puts them within 5 points of a real, outdoor mountain that has 1600 vert

[@PeakRankings]

We tried our best! Understand your point of view, but the year-round operating schedule and unmatched reliability are really quite something that outdoor resorts can’t offer.

[@vajona3894]

it's way too expensive for what it is

[@mastpg]

You lost me at "New Jersey".

[@ninettebeheler1746]

reviews are so unfair. Here’s a place where you can learn to ski, shop, take kids to Nickelodeon, water park etc. They even rent jackets. You need a different rating system that compares indoor ski resorts only. You wouldn’t compare a climbing gym to actually climbing on a mountain.

[@ColoradoFleece]

What is the fucking point lol. Seems like a big waste of energy and effort

[@ryanrudnik1251]

Not a ski resort.... Its a gimmick.

[@Sadness57]

Dumb

[@dangain3440]

Unfortunately, the making of artificial snow uses energy, which is not only expensive but also unsustainable, and only aggravates the damage caused by global warming. The energy mainly comes from non-renewable sources and only seeks to put more pressure on the environment.

[@Gary-np7hl]

go live in a tent.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Wouldn't this also assume a lack of advancement in technolgoies that could make it more energy efficient?

[@MelissaJMassey]

This video was helpful but depressing because based on the weather we have out east anymore, this will soon become my only option for skiing "locally" 🥲