Hidden Valley (New Jersey)

Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley Location of Hidden Valley, in northern New Jersey Show map of Sussex County, New Jersey Hidden Valley Location of Hidden Valley, in northern New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Hidden Valley Location of Hidden Valley, in northern New Jersey Show map of the US
Location	Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Nearest city	New York City 1 hour southeast
Coordinates	41°11′8.16″N 74°28′50.16″W / 41.1856000°N 74.4806000°W / 41.1856000; -74.4806000 (Hidden Valley)Coordinates: 41°11′8.16″N 74°28′50.16″W / 41.1856000°N 74.4806000°W / 41.1856000; -74.4806000 (Hidden Valley)
Vertical	620 ft (189 m)
Top elevation	1,435 ft (437 m) AMSL
Base elevation	815 ft (248 m)
Runs	15 - 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
Terrain parks	1
Snowmaking	100%
Night skiing	100%

Hidden Valley was a ski resort in Vernon Township, New Jersey off of County Route 515, near the intersection with Route 94, approximately an hour's drive from the George Washington Bridge.^[1]

History

The resort opened in 1976. 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.^[2] It failed to sell at auction, and did not open for the 2013/2014 ski season.^[3]

In February 2014, the National Winter Activity Center (NWAC) began operating at the former Hidden Valley site. According to a post on the NWAC website:

"what is happening on the slopes of the former Hidden Valley ski area may become one of the most ground-breaking beginner learning and conversion programs of all. Aimed at kids aged 7 to 17 who are not familiar with (or able to afford access to) the world of winter sports, the new low-cost learn-to-ski/ snowboard center incorporates a little bit of everything, including learning programs based on specific terrain characteristics, to get newcomers hooked on the sport quickly..."

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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 featured a total of four lifts: three chairlifts (one triple, 2 doubles) and a surface lift, the uphill capacity was 3,500 per hour.

Notable skiers

Champion freestyle skier Donna Weinbrecht, an Olympic gold medalist in moguls, learned to ski and trained at Hidden Valley.^[9]

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. 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.^[10]

References