INDEX - TRAVEL
www.islandbreath.org

SUBJECT: MALL OF THE EMIRATES

SOURCE: PAUL HEDIN phedin@habiterra.com
POSTED: 19 AUGUST 2006 - 2:30pm HST
Annals of Peak Oil Insanity


Is it a real Spaceport under construction or the set of a science fiction movie? No, in fact it is a mall.


Try to guess what this construction project ended up being... Remember this is in Dubai, the captal of Abu Dhabai, in the desert! This facility is part of "The Mall of the Emirates".

Here the structure is just about finished. Notice the palm trees outside. In Abu Dhabai, in the Arab Emerates, it gets to 120°F degrees. Surely, this is an engineering marvel of some kind... but what is it?

It is an indoor ski resort with ski-lft, trees and few cabins. Ski Dubai is the only indoor themed ski resort to be found in the desert that has real snow.

With year round temperatures of 28° to 30°F the Emirate's very own cold mountain boasts five ski slopes, snow-covered hills, chairlifts and, most importantly, real snow.




Children have their own dedicated area that includes toboggan runs, ice caverns and places to make snowmen or just throw snowballs at their parents.
After the exertions of the slopes there are also a number of cafes that serve tempting food and drink. In addition the Avalanche Cafe at the mid-station offers spectacular views of the slopes.

Ski Dubai even has it's own winter mascot. With a slope height of 80m, and a width greater than the average motorway, the snow park has a capacity of 1500 people and offers a variety of activities for people of all ages and skill levels. For experienced skiers there are black runs at the top of the ski hill, while for snowboarders there is a quarterpipe and tricks area. For the less experienced there are a host of friendly and well-trained instructors to help visitors learn the basics.

"Mall of the Emerates" was crowned "The World's Leading New Shopping Mall" at the World Travel Awards in London in November 2005.

 



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Pau

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