Five runs
Of varying difficulty, the longest about four hundred metres, served by a real chairlift.
Frédéric VINEE — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ank Kumar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ank Kumar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Entropy1963 — Public domain
A complete indoor ski resort inside the Mall of the Emirates, kept below freezing all year while it passes forty degrees outside — the first of its kind in the Middle East and still the best known. It covers twenty-three thousand square metres under one roof, with five runs of varying difficulty, the longest about four hundred metres, and a real chairlift. The snow is made fresh every night and is genuine snow, not plastic. Tickets come in two kinds, and the difference must be understood before booking: the Snow Park ticket admits you to the play area, tube slides, snowballs and the penguins, and does not allow the slopes. The Ski ticket opens the runs and the lift and includes equipment and outerwear. Anyone who books the first while intending to ski will be caught out. Equipment, jacket and boots are normally included in the price; you need to bring gloves, a hat and thick socks — sold there at high prices. The penguins are an attraction in their own right for families: scheduled encounters in which the birds walk among visitors, booked separately. It is busiest during school holidays and at weekends, and booking ahead saves a long time in the queue.
Of varying difficulty, the longest about four hundred metres, served by a real chairlift.
Scheduled encounters where the birds walk among visitors, booked separately.
Instructors and classes for anyone who has never skied — the sensible way to start here.
Mall of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Road
Yes — there is a training slope for exactly that and lessons with an instructor. Many Gulf visitors try skiing here for the first time before a trip to the Alps, which is a sensible use of the place. Anyone with no interest in skiing at all will be satisfied by the Snow Park.
A long-sleeved base layer and ordinary trousers are enough, since the jacket and salopettes are included. What matters are gloves, a hat and thick socks — bring them, because they cost a great deal inside, and the cold without gloves ends a visit early.
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