Monstrous building next to highway in NJ is first of its kind in North America

Monstrous building next to highway in NJ is first of its kind in North AmericaUnder the artificial sun, the snow never melts away in a climate-controlled winter wonderland. The wind never blows, keeping away any concerns of biting winds at Big SNOW American Dream, North America's first indoor ski park.The park opened in East Rutherford, New Jersey, during December, and holds inside its walls 4 acres of skiable area with a 160-foot vertical drop. The graduated degree of pitch on the slopes ranges from 3% to 26% at its steepest point.For comparison, one of the smallest outdoor ski areas in America, Powderhouse Hill in South Berwick, Maine, has a 175-foot vertical drop.There are about a dozen existing indoor centers around the world, though they are mostly in Europe and Asia. The largest of these by visitor volume is Ski Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, which sees over 1 million visits per year.Big SNOW is kept at a crisp 28 degrees F. Although temperatures never rise above freezing, the absence of wind keeps the indoor weather comfortable."You never really get too chilly," Dave Wisotsky told AccuWeather's Video Producer Lincoln Riddle. "I'm in just regular sweatpants right now. I'm not even wearing really full snow gear so, conditions weather-wise, they're really great." People stand near the bottom of a slope at Big SNOW, watching others snowboard down. (Twitter/@Riddle_Lincoln) Multiple guests at the park have mentioned that the center is "perfect for beginners" with the controlled weather conditions. The steepest slope of 26 degrees, although it is the park's most difficult slope, still falls under the traditional green circle trail rating, which is the easiest level of difficulty.In its recent opening, the park has already seen a variety of guests visit its slopes."We've gotten a number of international guests already and people who've come down from New England and in from down South and out West just to experience it because this is the first of its kind here with North America," Big SNOW Vice President of Marketing Hugh Reynolds told AccuWeather.The more imperfect weather conditions for outdoor skiing may also boost visitors at the center. For outdoor ski parks, rain can make skiing more of a challenge, creating icy patches in the snow and challenging guests."Rainy days in the outdoor resort environment are pretty bad. Not a lot of people come out and ski in that weather, but we benefit from it," Reynolds said. "So when it's rainy outside, we can expect to see a 20% to 30% increase in attendance because people still want to come out, they want to get their turns in, and this is a great opportunity for them to do that."The East Rutherford, New Jersey, area has received around 2.1 inches of rain so far during the month of February, which is normal during this time of the month, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. A view of Big SNOW from near the top of one of the slopes. Big SNOW offers three different slopes, each with a different level of difficulty. (Twitter/@Riddle_Lincoln) The snowfall in the area, however, has been far below normal this winter. Since Dec. 1, the East Rutherford area has received just shy of 7 inches of snow. The normal is around 20 inches from December through this point in the winter.While northern New England has been seeing a close to normal amount of snowfall since Dec. 1, most of the Northeast has seen a below normal amount of snowfall."For resorts that can make snow, which most can, the biggest issue can be rain and milder temperatures," Pydynowski said. "When it's not cold enough at night, it makes it hard to make snow. Ideally, resorts would want low temperatures at night at least in the teens or lower 20s and low dew points as well for best snowmaking conditions. When it is relatively mild and moist, snowmaking conditions become poor.""When there isn't a lot of great natural snowfall, it's nice that we have guaranteed snow here indoors," Reynolds said.Multiple guests at the park expressed their love for the center's snow to Riddle.Although it is created with the help of giant air-conditioning refrigeration systems called "chillers," there is scientifically no difference between the snow made at the center, the snow made at outdoor resorts or the snow that falls naturally from the sky, Reynolds explained."It all happens through the same chemical reaction of water freezing in the air," Reynolds said.> Got blasted in the face with snow by my photog @Fragilebone during a live shot on the AccuWeather (@breakingweather) network last night LOL pic.twitter.com/WPmSnJ0FbA> > -- Lincoln is drinking coffee (@Riddle_Lincoln) February 21, 2020But since the climate is controlled inside the center, the snow doesn't melt and refreeze into ice."The snow feels genuine," skier Travis Taguinot told AccuWeather. "It's a lot easier than being out at some other mountains where you're going to hit ice. You're actually hitting some soft snow here."The snow is cleaned every night, the grooming machines pushing the bad snow into a melt pit, and water from the snow pack is collected through drainage in the flooring. In both cases, the water is recirculated back into the snowmaking water supply to help reduce the environmental impact.Reynolds stressed that because of the size of the center, the total energy consumption at Big SNOW is less than even a small outdoor resort. The park will remain open during the summer months, and although Reynolds mentioned the energy consumption in those months would increase, the cooler microclimate inside would help mitigate the rise.While there has been a pattern of indoor ski resorts typically doing better in the winter rather than summer months, Reynolds remains hopeful that the park will continue to bring in guests year-round."How fantastic would it be when it's 98 degrees outside and 95% humidity to come into a taste of winter for a couple of hours, 28 degrees," Reynolds said. "Talk about the ultimate air conditioning. This is it right here."Reporting by Lincoln Riddle in New Jersey.