Sky Dubai - Winter wonderland in the desert
Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort with 22,500 square meters of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was developed by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, which also operates the Mall of the Emirates.
Opened in November 2005, the indoor resort features an 85-meter-high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of varying steepness and difficulty, including a 400-metre-long run, the world's first indoor black run, and various features (boxes, rails, kickers) that are changed on a regular basis. A quad lift and a tow lift carry skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. Adjoining the slopes is a 3,000-square-metre Snow Park play area comprising sled and toboggan runs, an icy body slide, climbing towers, giant snowballs and an ice cave. Ski Dubai is also home to a number of penguins who come out to play several times a day. Penguin encounters can be booked, allowing the public to interact directly with the penguins. Winter clothing, ski and snowboard equipment are included in the price of admission.[1]
An extremely efficient insulation system helps the facility maintain a temperature of −1 °C during the day and −6 °C at night when the snow is produced. Ski Dubai is part of the Majid Al Futtaim Group, a Dubai-based developer of shopping malls in the Middle East. In 2007 Ski Dubai was awarded the Thea Outstanding Achievement Award by the Themed Entertainment Association.[1] The Snow Play Area was designed and produced by Thinkwell Group.[1]Ski Dubai was the location of a detour in the 10th leg of the reality game show The Amazing Race Asia on its first season. It also appeared as a detour in the 5th leg of the 15th season of the original American version.
