Dubai’s Desert Ski Resort: Dubai is known for its desert heat, but inside Mall of the Emirates, visitors can find something that seems completely out of place: a large indoor ski resort covered in real snow.

Ski Dubai, which opened in 2005, operates inside the mall and covers around 22,500 square metres. The attraction includes an indoor mountain reaching about 85 metres and five ski runs, with the longest stretching around 400 metres.

Dubai’s Desert Ski Resort: How Does Dubai Make Snow?

Keeping snow frozen in a desert climate requires a specially controlled environment.

Ski Dubai uses refrigeration and insulation systems to maintain temperatures below freezing inside the facility. Engineering information about the resort says its snow-making system can produce around 30 to 40 tonnes of fresh snow overnight.

The snow is created using chilled water and snow-making equipment. This allows Ski Dubai to maintain its slopes even while temperatures outside can be far above freezing.

Dubai Has Thousands of Tonnes of Snow Indoors

One of the most surprising figures associated with Ski Dubai is the amount of snow inside the facility.

The resort was designed with around 6,000 tonnes of snow covering its slopes and snow areas.

That means a huge quantity of frozen water has to be maintained inside a building in one of the world's hottest desert cities.

The Indoor Mountain Is 85 Metres High

Ski Dubai is not simply a flat indoor snow park.

Its indoor mountain rises approximately 85 metres, creating enough elevation for multiple ski and snowboard runs. The longest slope is about 400 metres long, with different runs designed for different ability levels.

The scale is what makes Ski Dubai unusual: a mountain-sized snow attraction has been built inside a shopping mall in the middle of the desert.

What Happens to the Snow?

Maintaining the snow also involves managing the water used in the system.

An engineering account of Ski Dubai's cooling operation says snow removed during maintenance can be melted and the resulting water reused in the facility's cooling system and for irrigation.

This helps reduce the amount of water that would otherwise be lost from the operation.

Ski Dubai Has Also Hosted Competitive Events

The indoor slope is not limited to recreational skiing.

Ski Dubai has hosted international snow-sport competitions, including FIS-sanctioned events. The facility has also been used by athletes preparing for international competition.

It even holds a Guinness World Records achievement. In 2017, Ski Dubai instructors collectively skied 302.3 kilometres in eight hours on the indoor slope.

Why Ski Dubai Is One of Dubai's Most Unusual Attractions

The unusual part is not simply that Dubai has a ski resort.

It is the engineering behind it.

A city surrounded by desert has created an enclosed environment capable of maintaining thousands of tonnes of snow, producing fresh snow overnight and supporting an indoor mountain with ski runs.

Outside, Dubai remains a desert city. Inside Mall of the Emirates, it is possible to ski on real snow.