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Ski Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Ski Dubai, United Arab Emirates
F+A Architects
Completed December, 2005

Ski Dubai is a winter wonderland in the desert. Located in the sun-baked desert emirate of Dubai, the cavernous 32,290-square-foot indoor ski resort counts five downhill ski runs varying in difficulty (the longest is 1,312 feet with a 196.85 foot fall), a cross-country trail, a 295.2-foot quarter-pipe for snowboarders, and, of course, a chairlift.

Located next to the Mall of the Emirates, the $275 million winter wonderland also boasts the world's largest indoor snow park. At 9,842 square feet, it offers tobogganing hills, a twin track bobsled ride, a snowball throwing gallery, and a snow cavern.

While the exterior temperature in Dubai ranges from 60 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, the ski area remains a constant 28 degrees. The entire structure is designed as a capacious cold box. The walls have several layers of insulation and 23 blast coolers. Two feet of snow pack lies underneath a layer of fresh powder that is replenished every night by mimicking mother nature: Chemical-free water is put into a specially designed chiller, sent through pipes into snow guns, and blown out into the freezing cold environment which crystallizes into snow.