My very first proper ski season, and I got sent on a business trip to the UAE during the Chinese New Year. To make it even worse, the company’s holiday started on the 8th, and my flight was also on the 8th. Not a single day off for me!!
The 16-day business trip used up all 10 days of my vacation. For someone just getting into skiing, it was absolutely torturous, wasn’t it!?Luckily, Dubai has the world’s largest indoor ski slope. How could a snowboarding addict like me not give it a try? Enough ranting — here comes the travel log.
First, here’s a floor plan of the ski area — it has beginner, intermediate, and advanced slopes. Pretty big for an indoor ski resort.
[attach]1379144[/attach]
Bought the ticket at the counter — a SLOPE DAY PASS for 300 AED, which is about 500 RMB. Pretty pricey.
[attach]1379147[/attach]
There’s a painting on the wall at the shop outside — ancient snowboards?
[attach]1379148[/attach]
Got the gear rented and hit the slopes. By the way, they provide ski equipment, snowsuits, and disposable socks here. The socks are probably for the Arabs — they usually wear sandals normally.
No gloves or goggles, but I brought my own, haha~ Rented a short Burton board, a bit old though.
[attach]1379164[/attach]
Right inside the entrance, there are two ski lesson areas on both sides, along with space balls and snow tubes for kids — so many children!!
Feels like this place is mainly for the Arab kids in their white robes to play in the snow. There’s also a penguin show every now and then~
[attach]1379149[/attach]
Slope conditions: The slopes here are divided into upper and lower sections. The upper part has a fairly wide intermediate slope, with an advanced slope connected on the inside, and a mix of intermediate and beginner slopes on the outside, plus a small park nearby. The lower section also has two jumps. Small but complete with everything you need.
Lower section
[attach]1379150[/attach]
Upper section
[attach]1379151[/attach]
Advanced slope
[attach]1379152[/attach]
Jump ramps
[attach]1379153[/attach]
Lifts
[attach]1379154[/attach]
Is this the world’s only indoor chairlift? Needs verification. Tons of kids come here to learn skiing, mostly Arabs — super cute, following their instructors like a mother hen with chicks.
[attach]1379155[/attach]
Worth mentioning is the tow rope here — the steepest one I’ve ever been on. It goes from a gentle slope to a steep one, with the steepest part at 60 degrees. The pull is really strong, and every time you’re dragged up the steep bit, it feels like your crotch is about to get ripped off. Countless people fall here. But the tow rope is way faster than the chairlift, haha!!
[attach]1379156[/attach]
[attach]1379159[/attach]
You can actually do some tricks on the tow rope here, like toe-side sliding (or heel-side?) and little turns on the tow. Haha, but if you’re not good at it, you might get stuck, like this.
[attach]1379157[/attach]
[attach]1379158[/attach]
[attach]1379160[/attach]
Alright, end of the skiing day — back to reality, dude!!
[attach]1379161[/attach]
One last goofy photo of yours truly
[attach]1379162[/attach]
Overall, it was alright. A bit pricey, but being able to ski in the Middle East is kind of a miracle... who cares when they’ve got the money, right!?
The snow is a bit sticky, indoor temperature is around -1 to -2 Celsius — not cold.
For fellow skiers, if you’re in Dubai, I’d still recommend coming here to satisfy your craving, haha!!
Also wanna mention two memorable little incidents: I rode the cable car with two Emirati kids. One asked where I’m from, I said “China,” and then he said something that really surprised me: “Your people always smile and have white teeth. Why are you looking at us like that?” I was like, huh? What did I do? He said, “On TV, you guys always look at us like we’re aliens.” We laughed about it for a while. Then he asked why I came here, and I said for work. He said, “Hope you have fun.” That really warmed my heart.
Another one: a little Emirati girl, maybe 10 years old, shouted “I LOVE YOU!” at me from the cable car. My heart melted, haha. I replied, “I LOVE YOU TOO!” So happy~~~
This is my first time writing such a long post, and my photography skills aren’t great either, so please bear with it. Just sharing the experience, that’s all!!
[attach]1379146[/attach]