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Big SNOW in NJ 2020

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We are planning to visit tomorrow! For those that have gone - do you think we need full on jacket tops? Or enough to wear just a light jacket or puffy vest?
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Also do you have to get there line an hour before your slot so you can be ready to go when the time starts? Or do they expect you to show up at that time and your 2 hours starts whenever you are ready to get on the snow?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
We are planning to visit tomorrow! For those that have gone - do you think we need full on jacket tops? Or enough to wear just a light jacket or puffy vest?
There is a mini-TR in Meet On The Hill. Sounded like a light ski jacket was useful since the temperature is set at 28ºF. That's a bit colder than typical spring skiing. But not wind to worry about. Most people don't seem to bother with goggles.

Also do you have to get there line an hour before your slot so you can be ready to go when the time starts? Or do they expect you to show up at that time and your 2 hours starts whenever you are ready to get on the snow?
My understanding is that there are separate lines for each start time. No real need to get to the parking lot much more than 20 minutes early. All depends on how quickly you can walk carrying stuff.

The 2 hour period starts when you reach the snow. That's always been the case so that beginners could not feel rushed getting rentals and booting up.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I ended up getting the multipack so it looks like we don’t need to reserve a start time. But I’d like to ge there when the lifts start turning for lighter crowds and fresh snow. And I will have my massive stroller as usual to carry ALL the things :smile:
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I ended up getting the multipack so it looks like we don’t need to reserve a start time. But I’d like to ge there when the lifts start turning for lighter crowds and fresh snow. And I will have my massive stroller as usual to carry ALL the things :smile:

I wore a Smartwool baselayer, vest, and shell jacket on top with Smartwool baselayer and shell pants. That was perfect for me temperature wise. My feet were chilly and I used my Hotronics, but my feet are ALWAYS cold haha.

I know you are all set now, but in case anyone else is wondering, you are not supposed to line up more than 15 minutes before your time I believe. Your time slot doesn’t start until you actually go out onto the snow though, so you can take your time dressing etc.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
By any chance did you get a look at what they serve at the restaurant there? Is there enough for lunch or is it mostly snacks? are there restaurants or a food court at the mall?
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
By any chance did you get a look at what they serve at the restaurant there? Is there enough for lunch or is it mostly ? are there restaurants or a food court at the mall?
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
And would you say the main run is a blue? Easy or hard blue? My point of reference would be places like tremblant or Stratton...
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
And would you say the main run is a blue? Easy or hard blue? My point of reference would be places like tremblant or Stratton...

I didn’t notice the food part, sorry. When we were there the rest of the mall had not reopened, so there are probably more options now. We actually went to a Panera a few miles away after skiing and got take out to have outside at a local park. @Olesya Chornoguz did you happen to notice anything regarding food when you guys were there yesterday?

The main slope I would say is an easy blue at the top and turns into a green further down. Very friendly terrain to get the legs turning again.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ok a bit of a silly question. Are the ceilings in the parking lot high? I still have a roof box attached to my car and I’m wondering if I need to remove it before going there? does anyone know?
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi all! Thank you for the information! We had a great time today! Great way to get a quick ski fix and so close to home. The one disappointing thing was the limited food options anywhere in the mall. There is a bubble tea place, Cinnabon and a Hagen dazz and I think a coffe place. But thanks to the posts here we ended up going to Panera which was a big hit with the kids.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Hi all! Thank you for the information! We had a great time today! Great way to get a quick ski fix and so close to home. The one disappointing thing was the limited food options anywhere in the mall. There is a bubble tea place, Cinnabon and a Hagen dazz and I think a coffe place. But thanks to the posts here we ended up going to Panera which was a big hit with the kids.

Glad to hear you all had a great time!!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Hi all! Thank you for the information! We had a great time today! Great way to get a quick ski fix and so close to home. The one disappointing thing was the limited food options anywhere in the mall. There is a bubble tea place, Cinnabon and a Hagen dazz and I think a coffe place. But thanks to the posts here we ended up going to Panera which was a big hit with the kids.
Glad you all enjoyed it! How long did it take to get from the car to the entrance of Big SNOW?
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It wasn’t busy today when we arrived first thing. We parked about 6 cars back from the main entrance and took the elevator up to the 2nd floor. When you come out it’s right there. So very very easy. I think there is technically a place where you can drop off your gear on a day when it’s busier but nothing is going on right now so you don’t really need to use it. I honestly worry about whether the whole complex is viable in the middle of this pandemic. They have a great looking theme park, water park etc but so little traffic. Most of the retail hasn’t opened yet. What stores are open are kind of niche and boutiquey. Great infrastructure though. Reminds me of some of the really big and modern malls in Asia. They really do need to open up some real food options though, otherwise you can’t really spend a long day there - I’ll plan to pack a more substantial meal next time.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It’s a short course for sure - the top has some decent pitch - definitely a blue for the first 4-6 turns then mellows out. Perfect for my crew. Just like the other group we used the cones under the Poma lift to change things up but I much prefered the wider open run to make real turns. Snow was very nice - no ice and not too cold. Will probably wear lighter jackets next time. Locker room is nice but they don’t have nearly enough racks for personal gear.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It was great partly because it was reduced capacity. It would be an absolute zoo if it was full capacity. So we will enjoy this while we can and hopefully they can make it through the next year or so if reduced capacity. Also I noticed that they removed the online $99 six pack option. It’s all $129 now
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
It was great partly because it was reduced capacity. It would be an absolute zoo if it was full capacity. So we will enjoy this while we can and hopefully they can make it through the next year or so if reduced capacity. Also I noticed that they removed the online $99 six pack option. It’s all $129 now
Do you have any idea what the percentage is? 25% or 50%

Since it's all timed tickets, really should not be difficult for Big SNOW to limit numbers and still allow for people with the multi-packs to fit in without a reservation. The entire premise is to make sure that beginners and intermediates have a good time. So it is probably a priority to avoid frustrating people because the slope is crowded and the lift line wait is more than a few minutes. Someone who is frustrated is very unlikely to return, or get interested enough to venture out to an outdoor slope.

Snow Operating, which runs Big SNOW, is the company that created Terrain Based Learning (TM) to help beginners. But what's less obvious is that when they consult with a ski resort, redoing the entire experience from the time a beginner reaches the resort parking lot is part of the process. Traffic flow and signage for the rental process is one aspect. Re-working teaching areas to avoid bottle necks is another. I saw the changes at Massanutten first hand last season. Made a big difference to first time folks, like grandparents trying to rent gear for a couple grandkids who clearly had never been to Massnutten before.
 

Peaheartsmama

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have no idea but they sell 30 slots for each 15 mins plus accept the multi pass - so it’s something in the order of around 150-200 pax max per hour probably. I read the max capacity is around 500 so they are probably setting a 30-50pct cap. But when we were there is it no where near that. Maybe 50 - 60 people total skiing / riding. Yesterday most of the slots still had availability
 

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