Big SNOW American Dream — Attraction in East Rutherford

The ski industry is pricey overall, but this is America's ONLY indoor slope. It's a luxury experience! Big SNOW's existence has benefitted me in more ways than one. Here are some quick tips to know before you go, but if you'd like to learn more in-depth about Big SNOW, getting ski/snowboard lessons, or essential tips, visit my website 'dreamlikediana' for all the details.

PASS & RETAIL PURCHASES Big SNOW is a cashless enterprise. They have a kiosk in the back where you can create a prepaid debit card for purchases if you don't already own a debit or credit card, or utilize Apple Pay/GPay. There is no ticket purchases in-person. Pay ahead of time, online, only. You can't "pause" a 2-hour pass. 2-hour pass starts when you enter the snow dome. I bought all my first snowboarding gear here, June 2023, 6 months after starting to learn, from Rob. He's the only one that's really knowledgeable, passionate, and helpful without pushing for a sale. Recently, on October 4th, I just bought a new snowboard from Rob. I told him about my progression & my struggles with my existing board. I still love & own it, but I really wanted something more playful, to which he recommended the Burton Rewind. I fell in love with it in seconds of being on it! My riding has progressed much faster from just 2 sessions on this board than I've ever progressed before!

RENTALS Rentals include jackets, skis/snowboards, boots, pants, and helmets (gloves not included). Pick up winter gear and boots indoors; skis/snowboards are inside the dome. Do NOT grab just any gear you see lying outside on the snow. You have to have a worker hand you your rental gear. If it’s not handed to you, it’s not yours to use. Wear workout clothes under your rentals—not jeans. Have height, shoe size, and preferred snow sport ready at the time of ticket purchase, if you need rentals. Depending on activity, you'll either get hot or cold under the rental gear.

HOW & WHERE TO START Start on the bunny slopes. Skiing/snowboarding isn't about going straight; it’s about S turns. Don’t go to the top until you’re ready. It’s more advanced than you think and can lead to injury since it's a steep drop. Avoid standing in the middle of any slope, the bottom, the exit, etc. You're making yourself into a haphazard. I've seen too many bad collisions happen this way. If you fall, get back up as soon as possible. Look around before starting to ride. Raise your hand to signal. The people in front of you have the right of way. Be mindful of others' gear; it's expensive. Learn how to dismount the lift from the bunny slopes first. You must have one foot strapped into the board at all times, and slide your way over to the slope. Put all your weight into the leg that's mounted & "Let it take you for a ride," my instructor once told me. Works every time.

LESSONS Paid lessons are worth it! I started here knowing nothing. Check out my blog, 'dreamlikediana,' for more info. Workers in blue jackets provide ONLY 15 minutes of instruction. If you need more help, additional lessons require payment. Tip your instructors, it is a service. You're never too old to learn! I started at 31. Skiing is easy to learn, hard to master. Snowboarding is hard to learn, easy to master.

OTHERS Tubing, is more for children than adults. Small café available. Ask a worker if no one is there. You can get banned for bad behavior. Great for dates and family fun, but don’t come here looking to hit on girls. Most of us want to ride in peace—be kind! Parking is $5 all day. Yes, there are lockers. Watch my video on how to close & open a locker. Wear a helmet.

OVERALL I want to give this place 5 stars because I love it, and most days it is, especially if I have a good ride. On other days, it's 4 stars due to rude guests, bad behavior, busy times, etc. But it's America's ONLY snow dome and an amazing luxury experience. Despite the few bad eggs, I absolutely...

I want to write about an unpleasant experience I had here. This review is a suggestion for the Staff member to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. Background: A kid came with a ski rental package, grabbed my board without my consent, and tried to use it for his ski equipment while I was away. I put my board on the rack. The Big Snow staff didn't question the kid, tried to help him adjust my bindings, and eventually messed it up. The kid admitted that he was doing that intentionally and later pretended there was confusion because he didn't understand English and thought my board was a ski and it was placed on the rack to be rented. Suggestions: I don't think the staff do that on purpose, but they fell through the lie and trusted the wrong side without critical thinking. For example: When I approached the kid who took my board, he could speak English fluently before and after he knew I was asking him why he took my board and tried to use it. When I asked him if he took my board on purpose in English, he said yes, and he said he thought he could fit his boots into my snowboard. My friend was there while the conversation happened, and later, more of my friends heard the kid speaking English to me in the locker room. The kid understood English well when I asked him to reimburse my 50 setup fee, which I paid to get everything all right. Of course, he didn't pay, and I don't plan to force it because I have spare bindings that I can use and wait till winter to set up my binding right again. The point is, he understood it and literally said, "I can give you 60". Suddenly, he didn't speak English when a staff member was there. Please investigate well enough before trusting liars. The kid claims he took my board because he thought the rack for customers to put ski/board is the rental pick-up area. Come on, the fact is, there were skis on that rack, too, and he knew his setup was for skiing, not for the board, because I overheard the conversation that he admitted his rental package is ski, not snowboard. Why did he still pick my board instead of skis? Doesn't take other people's skis sound more logical if he thinks that rack is for rental? He still took my board, tried to get it on, and when he figured out he couldn't, he brought it to the tune shop. Please think before you offer the service. Does a rental package kid who brought you a professional racing snowboard and asked you to adjust the bindings sound suspicious? The staff messed up my setup because a random kid felt my board was cool and tried to "borrow" it and test it with his ski boots. One of the staff challenged me as to why I wanted 50 dollars from the kid, and he said they could fix it. The race board is different, and the staff needs to be trained for that knowledge because board racing is a very niche sport. It is not simply adjusting the length to ensure the binding clicks and locks. The subtle change would require me to test repeatedly and adapt my body alignment.

Although I was extremely mad because: I put my board on the rack just like everybody else got it taken away without my consent. The kid lied about the intention of taking my board to Big Snow staff and made them believe it was an accident, which turned me into a bad guy. I still really appreciate Doug for calming me down and apologizing. Most importantly, he listened to me and respected me as a long-term customer who brought many people into the Monthly pass program and many of those who got a 6-pack...

I've been a loyal visitor to Big Snow for several seasons, but this season has been a complete disappointment. The experience has deteriorated significantly, and it's hard to overlook the numerous issues.

Lesson Check-In Process: The check-in line for lessons is horrendous. The line is excessively long, and only one person is available to assist. Even if you arrive early, check-in doesn’t start until the lesson's scheduled time, cutting into the actual lesson duration. This process is inefficient and frustrating for paying customers.

Rental and Lift Ticket Issues: The cards issued for rentals and lift tickets don’t work properly. Despite being paid for, they often require rescanning, which wastes even more time. And even after rescanning, they still don’t function correctly. It’s unacceptable for such basic operations to fail repeatedly.

Locker Problems: The lockers are poorly managed. Someone actually removed my belongings and replaced them with their own, which was both concerning and invasive. Clearer locker policies and better security are desperately needed.

Trail Safety Concerns: The trails are overcrowded and unsafe. Many people, particularly teenagers who seem inexperienced, crash into others, including my family, creating a hazardous environment. One individual even attempted to strap both feet into a snowboard before getting on the lift! There’s a clear lack of supervision, and this lack of enforcement is a significant safety issue.

Customer Service Issues: The info email address is unresponsive, and the chat support is unhelpful. To make matters worse, my family's lesson dates were rescheduled, and updated confirmations were never provided. When I checked online profile, only half of my family was rescheduled properly. The human agent wouldn't provide their name or manager's name either.

Suggestions for Improvement:

*Start check-in earlier to avoid eating into lesson time. *Separate group and private lesson check-in times to reduce bottlenecks. *Ensure someone monitors the trails to manage reckless or inexperienced skiers/snowboarders. *Address the issues with lockers, rentals, and lift ticket systems to provide a smoother experience.

Big Snow used to be a place we enjoyed, but this season has been chaotic and unsafe. If improvements aren’t made soon, I’ll have to reconsider returning...