Hidden Valley (New Jersey)
Hidden Valley was a ski resort in Vernon Township, New Jersey, United States, located off of County Route 515, near the intersection with Route 94, approximately an hour's drive from the George Washington Bridge.[1] Since January 2016, the area has been repurposed as the National Winter Activity Center, which provides education and ski/snowboard instruction to groups that might not have access to winter sports.[2]
| Hidden Valley | |
|---|---|
  Hidden Valley Location of Hidden Valley in northern New Jersey  Hidden Valley Hidden Valley (New Jersey)  Hidden Valley Hidden Valley (the United States) | |
| Location | Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States |
| Nearest major city | New York City 1 hour southeast |
| Coordinates | 41°11′8.16″N 74°28′50.16″W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Vertical | 620 ft (189 m) |
| Top elevation | 1,435 ft (437 m) AMSL |
| Base elevation | 815 ft (248 m) |
| Runs | 15 total - 25% easiest - 30% more difficult - 45% most difficult |
| Longest run | Browse Along 0.75 miles (1.2 km) |
| Lift system | 3 chairlifts - 1 triple - 2 doubles 1 surface lift |
| Lift capacity | 3500 per hr |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowmaking | 100% |
| Night skiing | 100% |
History
Built by Jack and Peg Kurlander - the resort opened in 1975. In 2007 the resort, after years of struggling to compete with the nearby and much larger Mountain Creek, declared bankruptcy and was sold at a sheriff's auction. A group of investors bought it at auction with the intention of turning it into an all-inclusive resort. After an unusually warm winter in 2011 and numerous problems throughout, it was once again put up for liquidation auction in the fall of 2013.[3] It failed to sell at auction, and did not open for the 2013/2014 ski season.[4]
In February 2014, the National Winter Activity Center (NWAC) began operating at the former Hidden Valley site.
The mountain
Hidden Valley's summit elevation is 1,435 feet (437 m) above sea level and its base is at 815 feet (248 m), yielding a vertical drop of 620 feet (189 m). The resort had 15 trails - 25% beginner, 30% intermediate, and 45% advanced. The longest trail was Browse Along at three quarters of a mile (1.2 km). the mountain features a total of three lifts: two chairlifts (2 Quads) and a surface lift.
Notable skiers
Champion freestyle skier Donna Weinbrecht, an Olympic gold medalist in moguls, learned to ski and trained at Hidden Valley.[5]
Alpine skiers David Schneider Jr., Drew Schneider and Todd Schneider were brothers who trained at Hidden Valley. David made the US training squad at 17, Drew was invited to the U.S. Ski Team at age 14 and Todd later raced on the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1980s to early 90s. David Schneider, their father, was the head of and created the alpine training program in the 1970s at Great Gorge and Vernon Valley ski areas before the opening of Hidden Valley. He was also the first coach that Donna Weinbrecht had before she turned to freestyle, per Dave Schneider's recommendation.
Nolan Kasper, a slalom racer with the U.S. Ski Team, began skiing at Hidden Valley in the early 1990s at age three; his father was a ski instructor at the area.[6]
References
- hiddenvalleynj.com - directions - accessed 2011-03-06 Archived February 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Obernauer, Eric. "Educational ski center up and running at former Hidden Valley Ski Resort", New Jersey Herald, January 20, 2016. Accessed October 23, 2017. "A new educational ski center, which includes more than $12 million in upgrades and renovations, has opened at the 140-acre former site of the Hidden Valley Ski Resort off Breakneck Road.The nonprofit venture, which opened last weekend as the National Winter Activity Center, is targeted to improving the lives, health and fitness of youth through participation in winter sports activities."
- "Hidden Valley Club, N.J., Goes to Auction | SAM - Ski Area Management". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27.
- Tom De Poto (October 1, 2013). "Hidden Valley Ski Resort fails to sell at auction". Retrieved February 4, 2014.
- Staff. "Jersey product and Olympic gold medalist Donna Weinbrecht tapped to offer ski analysis at Vancouver Games", The Star-Ledger, January 23, 2010. Accessed May 15, 2016. "Eighteen years later, Weinbrecht, who learned to ski at the Garden State’s Hidden Valley and Vernon Valley/Great Gorge — now Mountain Creek — both in Vernon Township, calls Killington in central Vermont her home 'hill' now."
- U.S. Ski Team - Nolan Kasper - bio - accessed 2012-01-31