Ski Dubai: welcome to the modern Middle East

Ski Dubai is the name of the new 400-metre long indoor ski slope located within the Mall of the Emirates, the third largest such facility in the world.

For many people being able to ski in the Gulf is the ultimate symbol of the triumph of man and technology over the natural environment. In the summer temperatures in Dubai top 50C, while inside Ski Dubai skiers will enjoy perfect, year-round skiing at -1C.

This is not just a novelty either. You really can ski properly at Ski Dubai. Indeed, the snow is of the finest quality, so you can also be sure of getting a really good day's skiing.
Much thought has gone into making this facility efficient and fun.

Slopes hold 400

Up to 400 skiers can take to the slope at any one time, but there is enough ski clothing and equipment for 1,500, so there will never be a shortage. You also do not need to take a single item of your own equipment. From socks to skis and jackets, everything is included in the modest fee of $35 per session.

Inside Ski Dubai, the building is shaped like a dog's leg so that you do not feel as if you are in a frozen industrial warehouse, which is of course the reality. There is a play area for children to experience the snow, a nursery slope for beginners and a more challenging run for intermediates. You even have a mountain hut for chocolate at the mid-station of the ski lift.

Ski Dubai is a great place for residents to play and also a nice attraction for tourists. If you get bored with lying on the beach and want something more energetic then head for the slopes.

Economic reality

But Ski Dubai also sends a powerful message about the reality of economic development in the region, and Dubai in particular. The current oil boom is producing a once in a generation investment in new world-class infrastructure.

This is not the Middle East of terrorism and instability; this is the Middle East offering a playground for the rich and famous and a home for the most modern economic infrastructure.

Majid Al Futtaim and the Mall of the Emirates are to be applauded for providing this symbol of the New Middle East, and appropriately enough it is entirely a private undertaking with no government involvement whatsoever. This too is a marker for the future of the region as a haven for private investment.