The ribbon was cut on the fresh fallen Florida snow on November 20 at Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park. Yes, you read that correctly, fresh fallen Florida snow.
Snowcat Ridge is Florida’s only alpine snow park with real snow. It features a 60-foot-tall and 400-foot-long snow-covered tubing hill with magic carpet lifts, an Alpine Village and a 10,000 sq. ft. snow dome. Snowcat Ridge will also feature a child-sized snow hill for young riders and a magical music and light show during the evenings.
“We have had a tremendous amount of support on this project and it has been a very unique project to bring to Florida,” said Snowcat Ridge’s CEO, Benjamin Nagengast. “My family and I have owned and operated family attractions for the last 20 years and so this our new facility, Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park, in the state of Florida.”
Nagengast and his team have been working on Snowcat Ridge for the last five years. He selected the sight for Snowcat Ridge because it’s adjacent to his other properties, TreeHoppers and Scream-A-Geddon.
“We were able to combine the best of both worlds, which is the sunshine and the snow,” Nagengast said. “It is no mean feat to be able to combine those two aspects.”
Adam Thomas of Florida’s Sports Coast, and a member of the team that helped Nagengast’s project come to life, was on hand at the ribbon-cutting.
“We really weren’t anticipating to add snowtubing and snowball fights to our destination’s repertoire of activities and we are so excited to have that in our own backyard,” Thomas said. “If you think about it, what’s more unique than a mouse, a roll coaster and a beach? A snow park in Florida, how amazing is that?”
Since opening, the park has had an overwhelming amount of interest and guests at the park to the extent that Nagengast’s team is working diligently to produce snow for inside the park’s Arctic Igloo.
“We are working hard on our snow production efforts so that we have enough snow for everyone to play with, as well as have the bunny slopes operational, to keep up with the overwhelming demand,” Negengast said. “We definitely want to ensure all of the kids and families that want to see and play in the snow are able to. In regards to Snowy Slopes and the Alpine Village, which includes a Christmas Market, these are open, with limited capacity to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines.”
To learn more about Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park, visit www.snowcatridge.com. The park is located at 27839 Saint Joe Rd. in Dade City.
