21.10.2026 20:00
Ski Dubai, located inside a shopping mall in Dubai, offers visitors the opportunity to ski on snow-covered slopes despite the desert heat. The cooling systems that maintain the artificial winter environment bring with them debates over the facility’s energy needs and environmental impacts.
Ski Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, offers a winter sports experience in a desert climate. At the indoor ski resort located within Mall of the Emirates, visitors can ski on snow-covered slopes despite the hot weather outside.
DESERT HEAT OUTSIDE, WINTER INSIDE
According to the facility's official information, the temperature inside is kept at minus 2 degrees Celsius. Thus, visitors coming out of Dubai's hot climate can encounter winter conditions inside the same shopping complex.
HOW IS SNOW PRODUCED?
The snow at the center is produced by spraying cooled water into a freezing environment, where it crystallizes. Snow machines on the ceiling provide production, while insulation and cooling systems help preserve the snow layer on the slopes. Cooling pipes in the ground keep the lower layer of snow frozen.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION DEBATE
Keeping an indoor area constantly cold in desert conditions brings the facility's energy needs to the center of debate. While the environmental cost of snow production and cooling has become a subject of criticism, statements about the facility's technical systems draw attention to insulation and energy recovery. It is stated that snow removed from use is melted and used in the shopping mall's cooling system, and then in irrigation.