In the cold of winter, it is often challenging to find great outdoor activities in New Jersey.
Fortunately, right here in Bergen County, at Campgaw Mountain in Mahwah, there is a fantastic place where you can take advantage of the frosty weather and participate in some exhilarating winter activities. At the site, you can snow tube down a 100-foot icy mountain, ski down a big hill or two bunny-hill courses, or even snowboard like an Olympian.
Last year, as president of the Yeshiva University Student Council, due to COVID-19, I only could arrange events virtually. Despite this disadvantage, I was determined to organize at least one in-person event during the winter, with the hopes of bringing a sense of normalcy to the student body. I found my opportunity when I chanced upon an advertisement on Facebook for Campgaw Mountain, at once realizing that this could be the perfect medium to accomplish my goal. YU was going snow tubing!
The event arrived in early March 2021 on a Motzei Shabbat. As I entered the Campgaw grounds, I was mesmerized by the glistening white mountains, reflecting off the surrounding floodlights. While standing on the ground level, I was amazed at the immense size of the mountains and astonished by the large number of skiers and snowboarders weaving their way, so seamlessly, down the mountain course. My friends and I began walking towards the back-end of the grounds to the snow tubing mountain.
As soon as we arrived, we were immediately greeted with many hellos and fist-bumps from our YU friends. At the bottom of the tubing mountain are dozens of different colored tubes to choose from. Each tube is equipped with a rope attached to make the tube easy to drag, making carrying it unnecessary. I grabbed a tube and began pulling it up the mountain. To my delight, only a few feet up the mountain, a huge moving walkway appeared, taking us directly to the top of the mountain in only a few minutes.
Once at the top of the mountain, there were lines of people waiting near all of the 15 snow tubing lanes. I stood in one line, waiting my turn, but time flew by because I had the chance to talk with my friends who were waiting alongside me, and we had a great view watching all of the people descend the slope.
A few minutes later, it was my turn. I placed my tube in front of me, and lying on my stomach, I held onto the handles attached to the tube. Alternatively, there is a doughnut hole at the center of the tube that you can sit in. Every few lanes, there were workers ensuring that all snow tubers were properly secured in their tubes. At last, the workers told us to begin. I kicked off the ice and commenced my descent.
The feeling of rushing down the slope was invigorating. My surroundings became a blur as I picked up speed. The vision of other people sliding down the slope alongside me added to the excitement. As my legs glided against it, the slope’s solid ice felt smooth. At the bottom, a little upwards the hill slowed the pace of the tubers, with padding on its top in case people were going too fast. I ended up being one of those people and crashed into the padding, but it did not hurt at all.
As soon as my ride finished, I went back in line and grabbed a new tube, continuing to plunge the mountain about 10 more times during the remainder of the evening. After our two-hour time slot ended, we all chilled in the lodge near the snow tubing mountain, where we got snacks and hot beverages. It was a pleasant way to warm up after an evening in the cold.
In addition to snow tubing, Campgaw offers a variety of skiing and snowboarding venues. For skiers, there are three levels of difficulty on the runs: easiest, more difficult and most difficult. Additionally, there are opportunities for daily lessons, both private and semi-private. There are also sessions for children under 6 to learn the basics of skiing and snowboarding. Besides daily lessons, Campgaw offers learning programs that span over several weeks to help you attain the rank of a pro skier or snowboarder. Incredibly, Campgaw also offers adaptive lessons for people with disabilities who want to learn how to ski or snowboard. If you really love Campgaw, you can even get a season pass which ranges from $309-$419 to enjoy the fun all winter long!
Recommendation:
I loved Campgaw and would rate it an 8 out of 10. In my opinion, it is the premier outdoor winter destination in the area. Campgaw offers activities that are enjoyable for the whole family, cater to all skill levels, and is an entertaining place to go with friends or on a date. I would recommend dressing warmly as you will be standing outside for a long time. I plan on going back as soon as possible, and I am sure that once you try it, you will, too.
Price of Snow Tubing: $29 weekday /$31 weekends for 2 hours per person
Hours of Operations: 2-8 p.m. on weekdays/extended hours on weekends
Location: Mahwah, New Jersey
Unique Feature: Offers adaptive lessons for people with disabilities to learn how to ski or snowboard.
If you have any recommendations of fun places for me to review, please email me at [email protected].
