Indoor Snowboarding at Big SNOW: What to Expect & Why I Keep Going Back
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Credit: Big SNOW American Dream
My journey didn’t start with Big SNOW. It started with Blue Mountain, and I’m a, “Give credit where credit is due,” girly. Big SNOW helped achieve a lifelong dream of learning to snowboard that Blue Mountain instilled in me!
The winter sports industry is pricey overall, but this is America's ONLY indoor slope. It's a luxury experience!
Big SNOW's existence has benefited me in more ways than one. I have multiple posts on this website about my time at Big SNOW, from private snowboarding lessons, to essential tips before you go, and also a YouTube video that you need to watch!
But for the sake of this post, I’ll keep things brief and add a bit of my original reviews.
Just a heads up! They have a 3.5 rating on Yelp, and someone manually keeps changing the name to Bath & Body Works. Does this look like a Bath & Body Works to you?! I’ve been manually changing it every time I see it.
I will tell you right now, straight up, don’t go in the months of October through February if you want a decent experience or time. This is their busiest time of the year. You have all the other months to actually enjoy this place & get your time in.
Pass, Retail Purchases & Gift Shop
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 are no ticket purchases in-person. Pay ahead of time, online, only.
You can't "pause" a 2-hour pass.The 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. At the time, he was the only one that was really knowledgeable, passionate, and helpful without pushing for a sale. Now, many more retail associates have been trained in his image and likeness to perform as well as he does since he’s been promoted. But because I’m special, 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 than I've ever progressed before!
The retail store doubles as a gift shop, and most of the stickers are out on display behind a glass cabinet. There aren’t many options to choose from, but I chose the cutest one of all! I also bought a keychain because I happen to be a bit of a keychain collector as well.
Rentals
Rentals include jackets, skis/snowboards, boots, pants, and helmets.
Gloves & socks not included
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.
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 love it here.
If you want to get a good time in, do not come during the winter time. It’s open all year round! Come during any other season! Do not come during weekends or holidays. Things easily get booked up quickly! It gets VERY packed during the weekends and winters.
You WILL NOT learn to ski or snowboard in one session!
The tubing, although it is enjoyable for adults, is more for the children.
Start at the bunny slopes, if you are new, you shouldn’t be at the top. Big SNOW is more forgiving to learn on than any East Coast mountain, but even if you learn at Big SNOW it won’t always translate to being able to ride on real mountains. You still need to practice outdoors with caution.
