Global media has been excitedly reporting that Dubai is about to build the world’s largest indoor snow centre with a 1.2km (three-quarters of a mile) long indoor slope. This would be approximately twice the length of the existing world-longest slope at Amneville in France.
The slope would be part of a $6.8 billion environmentally-sustainable development including a horse racing centre, marina, huge mall, the world’s largest dancing fountains and residential tower among many other attractions, be home to up to 78,000 people, all to be named ‘Meydan One.’
As there have been many previous elaborate projects proposed for Dubai that have not come to fruition it is difficult to know how close to becoming a reality this project is. However the official website does say that it has the highest backing, so that may be a good sign,
“Meydan is the visionary concept of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The project is the culmination of his vision to create not just a venue for horse racing, but an integrated city that is sustainable, environmentally responsible and one that positions Dubai at the center of the competitive global business stage.”
Reports say that a third of the massive development should be complete by 2020, but not whether that will include the indoor snow slope.
As usual in media reports on indoor snow centres, the reporting was wildly inaccurate. The myth that Ski Dubai was the current largest or only indoor snow centre in the world were perpetuated in several reports. Two different reports separately claimed that the Guinness Book of Records listed the Alpincenter in Germany and Ski Dubai in Dubai were the current world’s largest indoor ski areas, neither correct.
Previously China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates have all been the locations for projects that proposed to build the world’s longest indoor snow slopes – typically 1km in length. China recently announced it would build the world’s new longest indoor snow slope but did not say precisely how long or where.