Indoor skiing - All Year Round Snow

By James Richardson

Ski Dubai is one of the most exciting Snow Dome's in the world

If you had thought about skiing indoors before the turn of the 1970’s, people would think that you had lost you mind.

After all, keeping and maintaining snow under a big dome would sound a little absurd. These days, the idea doesn’t seem crazy at all (especially when you consider that K-Fed is considered a more reliable parental figure than Britney Spears). In fact, at least two snow domes (as indoor skiing areas are refered to as) are opened each year around the world. As of today, more than 3 dozen snow domes of various sizes are operating around the world.

Here are some of the well known snow domes that you might want to visit:

Ski Dubai - Dubai

Ski Dubai, as the name says, is located (of all the places) in Dubai. Dubai is hosts to some of the hottest weather around the world, with an average temperature exceeding 30o C. Yet inside of the dome it's maintained between comfortable -1 to -2 degrees.

The ground covered under snow is approx. equal to three football fields, with a height which measures around 85 meters (about 25 average floors). There are five different types of slopes in the dome differing in height and gradient with the longest run equal to 400 m. Ski school and equipment rental facility is also provided.

Snowdome – Tamworth, United Kingdom

Tamworth is a historic town in Staffordshire, England. Among the popular attractions of this town is its indoor skiing resort, called the Snowdome.

Snowdome features a 170 m long slope and is among UK’s top indoor skiing facility. It’s not just a ski slope; rather the dome is promoted as a ski resort. There’s an array of different activities for people of all age groups, like tubing for children and adults, teenage discos, ski blading and snowmobiling etc. Ski tuitions are also provided to visitors of all age groups.

Birthday parties and school group tours can also be arranged at the Snowdome.

Xscape – Castleford, United Kingdom

Xscape is combination of a number of leisure and sports activities like: rock climbing, indoor skateboard park, bowling, cinema, restaurants, retail outlets and of course the all awesome 170m snow slope covered with 1500 tones of snow.

Snow activities include, skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing or the ice slide. Ski instructors are also provided to help beginners get rolling. Bars are located along the side of the slope for snacks and drinks, so you can enjoy your snacks with the fascinating view of the slope. Xscape provides activities and services for a people of all age and class.

SnowPlanet – Auckland, New Zealand

Located just along the state highway of Auckland, SnowPlanet is the largest indoor skiing facility in the southern hemisphere.

At SnowPlanet, skiers of all levels will find a challenge at the 200 meter long slope with different levels of steepness to suit different levels of expertise. The slope is more than 40 m wide, which is almost 35 % wider than usual ski slopes, giving you the chance to impress the audience with different fancy curves and tricks.

Along with the Mountain View restaurant - the SnowSport shop rental centre and Snow Academy are also located in the dome. Different packages for Corporate Groups, Schools and Tourist groups are also available.

James Richardson is a Melbourne writer who writes for snowlife.com.au - a privately run snow culture website based in Melbourne, Australia. If you have any suggestions, enquiries or issues please feel free to visit www.snowlife.com.au for more information.

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