International ski and snowboard competition is underway in Dubai this week, but athletes aren’t racing on some remote snow-covered mountain. They’re competing inside one of the city’s largest shopping malls.
Ski Dubai, the indoor ski area located inside the Mall of the Emirates, is hosting a series of FIS-sanctioned snowboard and freeski competitions from Oct. 14-16. The schedule includes snowboard slopestyle, freeski slopestyle and freeski Street Style, putting an international competition course inside a climate-controlled building surrounded by shops, restaurants and other attractions in the middle of the desert.
According to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s competition calendar, the three-day program includes six snowboard slopestyle competitions along with four freeski slopestyle and two freeski Street Style events for men and women.
FIS Competition Inside A Shopping Mall
Ski Dubai has been operating inside the Mall of the Emirates since 2005, when it became the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. The facility covers approximately 22,500 square meters and contains five ski runs, a freestyle area, chairlifts and surface lifts, all inside a refrigerated building. Ski Dubai‘s indoor temperature is maintained around 28°F, creating winter conditions year-round even when outdoor temperatures in Dubai are dramatically warmer.
The FIS snowboard calendar lists six slopestyle competitions at Ski Dubai between Oct. 14 and 16. On the skiing side, the freeski schedule includes four slopestyle competitions and two Street Style events.
Street Style Comes To Ski Dubai
FIS recently moved to give Street Style skiing and snowboarding a larger role within its competition structure, with the discipline built around rails, walls, stairs and other features inspired by urban skiing and snowboarding rather than traditional jump-heavy slopestyle courses.
Ski Dubai Has Become An International Competition Venue
The facility has previously hosted FIS competitions and has developed into an important training and competition venue for athletes from countries without reliable access to natural snow. Its operator, Majid Al Futtaim, says Ski Dubai introduces more than 80,000 people to skiing and snowboarding annually.
Winter Sports In The Desert
Indoor ski areas are becoming an increasingly important part of competitive snow sports, particularly during the shoulder seasons when outdoor snow is limited. FIS held slopestyle and Street Style competitions at SnowWorld Landgraaf in the Netherlands in late September, another indoor facility that allows competitors to get on snow months before many traditional resorts open.
The setting may be wildly different from a typical ski resort, but the competition is real. From Oct. 14-16, a shopping mall in Dubai is officially part of the international ski and snowboard calendar.
