A Big SNOW could soon be coming to a city near you. Stuart Winchester of the Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast sat down with Joe Hession, who is the CEO of SNOW Partners. SNOW Partners owns Big SNOW American Dream, along with Mountain Creek in New Jersey. It’s really worth a full listen to hear about how Joe got his foot into the ski industry, helped grow and eventually buy Mountain Creek, and how they are doing in terms of their indoor ski hill: Big SNOW. In the podcast, he announced that they are planning to build more indoor ski resorts across the United States.
They have yet to confirm where their second indoor ski center will be, as they have not purchased the land to these places yet. Joe Hession said that they are considering putting them in cities across Texas, around Minneapolis/St. Paul(potentially close to the Mall of America, which is owned by the same company that runs the American Dream Mall in New Jersey), and in the suburbs of Denver, which could make skiing more accessible to the die-hards and people who can’t afford to travel through the bumper-to-bumper traffic of I-70.
These buildings will be relatively similar to the current setup in New Jersey, but there will be some differences, as Big SNOW will get to design the ski centers from scratch(unlike the very long construction circumstances of the American Dream mall). With SNOW Partners being a very innovative company with new technology and terrain-based learning, the future is looking bright. Additionally, Big SNOW recently introduced a monthly season pass, which will make it even more accessible for locals.
More indoor ski centers could also emerge in the future, as Alpine X aims to create a national presence as well. Their first proposed ski resort could be in Fairfax, Virginia and their second and third locations could be in Austin and Dallas. This new company is being led by John Emery, the former CEO of the Great Wolf Lodge hotel chain. The Great Wolf Lodge is known for its indoor waterparks and other attractions. They have partnered with people like Bode Miller to grow the brand. In contrast with Big SNOW which is currently operating, the Alpine X ski resorts would feature a large hotel with retail shops and an indoor adventure area, a snow play area, a black diamond/race-training run, a mid-mountain cafe, and multiple restaurants/bars.
In my opinion, going skiing during the off-season would be something I would structure a vacation around, and it would cost a lot less than going to New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, or Chile. So ultimately, I hope these plans happen.
Image Credits: Big SNOW American Dream, Alpine-X
