If skiing indoors sounds unbelievable, we can assure you, it’s real.

Big SNOW American Dream opened its doors Thursday letting media inside the 16-story, 180,000 square-foot indoor ski and snowboard park for a first look before the public can slide down the slopes in the afternoon.

This is the first real snow indoor ski and snowboard venue in North America and it’s a blustery 28 degrees year-round —the perfect temperature to keep the slopes covered in 5,500 tons of snow, with an average depth of 2 feet.

Big SNOW has a ski chalet-themed retail store, three slopes of varying difficulties, four lifts, a freestyle terrain park for snowboarders and a Terrain Based Learning area for beginners, the trademarked teaching tool of SNOW Operating, which runs Big SNOW and Mountain Creek.

Novices can rent equipment, ski jackets and pants for $69.99 for a two-hour session or more for a three-day session, and experienced skiers and snowboarders can bring their own and just buy an access pass for $34.99. There’s pricing for kids, too, and even child care for parents who want to ski without kids in tow.

See some of the first photos from inside.

Employee Christopher Roche, helps skier Kenny Lee of Mahopac, NY with getting on his boots during the grand opening of Big SNOW at American Dream December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

Skiers and snowboarders arrive and check in for the grand opening of Big SNOW at American Dream on December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

An interior view of Big SNOW at American Dream during its grand opening, December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

Cole Reynolds, 6 years of Verona NJ, gets a little assistance from his mom, Judi Reynolds as he makes his way onto the carpet lift during the grand opening of Big SNOW at American Dream, December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

A snowboarder some air off a jump during the grand opening of Big SNOW at American Dream, December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

(l-r) Olympic gold medalist skier and NJ Native, Donna Weinbrecht, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder, Red Gerard, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder, Kelly Clark and Olympic gold medalist skier, Lindsey Vonn, ride the ceremonial first chair lift during the Big SNOW American Dream grand opening December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

Snowboarders of all ages make their way down a trail during the grand opening of Big SNOW at American, December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

World Champion and Olympic Gold Medal skier, Lindsey Vonn poses with Big SNOW's mascot, Big, during the grand opening of their facility at American Dream, December 5, 2019.Mary Iuvone | For NJ Advance Media

The media kick-off event featured appearances by New Jersey native and Olympic gold medalist mogul skier Donna Weinbrecht, World Champion and Olympic Gold Medal ski racer Lindsey Vonn, Burton Snowboards Global Team Rider and US Olympic Gold Medalist Red Gerard and Global Team Rider Ben Ferguson.

SNOW Operating’s owner, Joe Hession said the indoor ski facility continues his mission to get more people sliding on snow.

“I truly believe that sliding on snow ... as a lifestyle and culture is a life-changing thing,” he said. “And it’s super cool to invite people in to get to do it here.”

Building the indoor slopes presented unique challenges, he said.

“There’s some people here who have never skied before, so we have to give them an experience that’s absolutely amazing with instructors. At the same time we have the best Olympic athletes are gonna hit the terrain park so we had to build a park for them,” he said. “It’s getting the right mix at the right time of the right features for everybody.”

Most of the invited guests who took to the slopes after a short ceremony used the Switchback and Northern Lights trails and the terrain park between the two trails.

“I don’t feel like I’m inside,” said Carly Co, 28, of Brooklyn, who usually snowboards in Stowe, Vermont, or Hunter, New York. Those mountains are “such a trek,” she said.

But she could see herself coming to Big Snow after work or for a few runs on the weekend. “This makes it feasible to go snowboarding more often,” she said.

Timi Carpenter, who lives in Stowe, loved that there was no wind at Big SNOW. And the snow itself.

“The snow quality is really good,” he said. “It’s not sticky or icy. It’s soft but it’s still fast.”

Scenes from American Dream mall's Big SNOW opening in East Rutherford, New Jersey December 5, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

Scenes from American Dream mall's Big SNOW opening in East Rutherford, New Jersey December 5, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

Scenes from American Dream mall's Big SNOW opening in East Rutherford, New Jersey December 5, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

The Big SNOW that was unveiled Thursday, with blank walls on three sides, is not what the finished space will look like.

Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream’s developer, Triple Five, said the chalet decor on the wall of Big SNOW that skiers see as they descend the hill is inspired by a chalet he likes in Aspen.

“This entire interior will have trees ... murals ... so you’re really going to feel like you’re not inside of a shopping mall, that you’re skiing at a world-class ski resort,” he said.

Ghermezian said Big SNOW is the widest indoor ski park in the world because they added a bunny ski hill for kids. Still to come are moguls, a double black diamond run and a snow play component, which will start next week, he said.

Snow play will include sledding and tubes. “Things [for] kids who don’t ski yet or snowboard yet who want to just get in the environment and play around in the snow,” Ghermezian said. “There will be a number of different activities for them to do .”

Big SNOW is the third venue to open at American Dream. The mega-mall in the Meadowlands opened its doors Oct. 25 but only the Nickelodeon Universe theme park and The Rink, an NHL regulation-sized skating rink debuted.

The DreamWorks Water Park was supposed to open last week but has been postponed. No new opening date has been shared by the developer.

The entire complex -- including all the shops and restaurants -- will not be open until spring.

See more of our ongoing coverage of the American Dream mega-mall here.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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