Big Snow, Big Disappointment

I heard about the American Dream mall and Big Snow, America’s first and only indoor ski resort, and always wanted to check them out. Since our camping trip was canceled and the admission price for Big Snow dropped from $60 to $30 for two hours, I decided to go at the very last minute.

Xuân couldn’t join me because he will have a swimming competition coming up. Vương wouldn’t go anywhere without his mother and he wanted to stay with Xuân. Đán would rather spend time with his PC than his dad. It’s so disheartening, but his choice. Only Đạo wanted to join me.

It turned out to be great because I hadn’t spent time alone with our first born in a long time. When we traveled in a big group, the bickering, arguing, and screaming were nonstop between the brothers and the parents. We are a chaotic family.

With just me and Đạo, it was so quiet and relaxing. We arrived at the American Dream quite early and our schedule for Big Snow was at 2 p.m. As a result, we wandered around the big mall. There was a train that took kids around the mall. It reminded us of when Đạo was a baby. When Ðạo got kicked out of the daycare for having a bit of a high fever, I would take him to the mall to ride the train. During the afternoon weekdays, the two of us were the only ones riding the train. The driver drove us an extra lap sometimes.

I took Đạo to the high-end section of the mall just to let him know how ridiculous the prices were. The Ferrari store had no price tag. We had to ask the sales associates. A kid about 10 to 12 years old asked about a leather wallet in a glass display case and the price was $520. The boy thanked the sales associate and walked out with his mom. Đạo dropped his jaw when he saw the $2,000 price tag on a Gucci handbag.

We walked around the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but Đạo is too old for these rides. At 1:30 pm, we checked into Big Snow and changed into our skiing clothes. Đạo was skiing and I was snowboarding. As we entered the skiing area, there was a small tubing and learning center. The main hill was divided into a green/blue slope and freestyle terrain. That was it. We took the lift up and then skied down for probably about 30 seconds. I was working on my carving so I didn’t mind as much, but Đạo got bored quick. Nevertheless, he stuck with me for about 3 hours. We only stayed an hour for our second session. I got bored and tired as well.

I also booked another session at noon for the next day. I am not sure if we will come back or not. Since the booking is not refundable, we just have to use it or lose it. That says a lot about the resort. Big Snow, big disappointment.

Then again, I was so glad to spend some quality time with Đạo. He is such a sweet, caring son. I am sure even after he goes away for college or work, he will come back and spend time on the slopes with me. I hope I won’t be too old to ski or snowboard.