Campgaw: Despite No Natural Snow, 'We Are Still Open'

Despite recent reports that this winter might be one of the least-snowy in history, workers at Campgaw Mountain say it is open for business.

“People don’t realize we are open,” Tony Rinaldi, Campgaw manager and promotions director, said. “But I say all the time, just because there’s no snow in your backyard doesn’t mean there’s none in ours.” Rinaldi said business this ski season at Campgaw has “definitely decreased,” especially coming off two back-to-back snow-heavy winters.

“Unfortunately this happens every once in a while, and there’s not much you can do, it’s Mother Nature,” he said. “People’s mentality changes when they don’t see snow on the ground. They aren’t thinking, ‘Oh, I need to be skiing until mid-March,’ which tends to be the mentality up north. Here, people are thinking spring and baseball.” Still, he says the mountain, which attracts skiers from throughout Bergen County and beyond, plans on staying open “at least” until the second week in March.

To accommodate skiers, Campgaw has been manufacturing fake snow, which “we do every year,” Rinaldi said. “Our main base is always manmade snow,” which is made using an air water system, he said. The warm temperatures this year have affected the fake snow too, Rinaldi said. Usually, Campgaw will manufacture snow 30 days over the course of the winter. This year, it’s been more like 15-20 days. “We need a temperature of 28 degrees to make snow, so this year we’ve mostly been doing that at night.”

The mountain has been posting videos to its Facebook page of snow-making since the season began. “We are actually able to get a good quality snow,” Rinaldi said.

Despite seeing a decline, “we do have customers, and we work to make sure they have a good experience here,” he said. “Our season pass holders have been extremely supportive.” And, Campgaw is working to make the ski experience more convenient, too. The mountain began an online system this year that allows customers to purchase time on the Campgaw Mountain website.

“We are still here, and it’s still a good opportunity to get out in the fresh air with your family,” Rinaldi. “We really do appreciate the local Mahwah crowd, especially this year.”