Why suffer through cold weather conditions and those pesky lift lines when you can ski or snowboard right at your local mall? We know what you’re thinking. We must be joking. Well sort of.
Several indoor skiing and snowboarding facilities are gaining popularity in places like Florida and New Jersey and even Kazakhstan.
In December the reported first indoor ski and snowboard park opened in Winter Park, Florida. It features basically white artificial grass on a giant treadmill that’s watered down to simulate snow. Meant primarily for people to test out skis and feel comfortable before heading to the slopes, the club is by no means a thrilling attraction.
That could change fast as Miami-Dade county is set to introduce a $4 billion, 200-acre entertainment center called American Dream Miami that includes a live sea lion show and an indoor ski slope. It will also have a domed amusement park with a roller coaster, a water park and a Ferris Wheel, reports the Miami Herald.
The developer, Triple Five, is also planning a similar $5 billion complex with an indoor ski slope in New Jersey in 2017 called American Dream Meadowlands with the largest indoor amusement park and water park in North America. There will also be close to 500 retail stores and more than 50 food vendors.
But don’t call it a mall because malls are virtually dead in America. Nonetheless, it seems the company that brought us the Mall of America is doubling down on its wager that bigger is better. And why not? It’s seemed to work so far.
Also in the realm of indoor board parks is a serious effort for surf, skate and snowboard enthusiasts coming to Orlando, Florida in 2018 by Xero Gravity Action Sports. The $309 million park will feature a 14-story ski and snowboarding hill, snow tubing slopes, an indoor wave pool and a 25,000 acre skate park, according to a press release.
Finally, not be left out are developers in Kazakhstan who want to put a 1,000-ft ski slope down the side of a 21-story apartment building. If approved it would be the first of its kind worldwide, reports The Telegraph.
Photo credit: A bird’s eye view of the proposed American Dream Miami.
