indoor ski slopes
Gone are the days of sliding down a dry ski slope like a maniac, safe in the knowledge that if you fall, it’s not just a broken leg or two you’d be dragging with, but also a nasty rope burn from the very mesh. positioned to ensure his speedy descent into a warm hospital bed.
Today, we can not only buy bread that does not require the interaction of a knife on our part and baked beans that avoid the need for a frying pan and plate, but we can also cheat nature and make snow. Real things (almost), like those that fall from the sky.
Whereas in the old days a man was expected to cut his own bread, bake his own beans and, in the absence of ready snow, ski down a dry slope, today he can navigate a steep slope, without worrying about himself or anyone else. others. safety, on real snow. In summer. In Dubai!
Indoor ski slopes and ski resorts provide year-round access to the most exciting pastimes, meaning that even when it’s 50°C outside (in Dubai’s case) you can ski to your heart’s content.
The first indoor ski slope was opened in 1987 in Mount Thebarton Snow and Ice, giving the good people of Adelaide, Australia the chance to experience the thrill of plunging headfirst down the side of a mountain whenever the mood strikes them, without having to travel to the alpine range on the other side of the country. Since then, they have sprung up in various places around the world, including the UK, France, Japan, and South Korea.
So, what evil is it that allows the humble man to make magic with the snow from the sky regardless of the temperature or the ceiling?
Snow cannons were first developed in the 1950s, but were not adopted as a commercial enterprise until the 1970s, when ski resorts began using them on their ski slopes to improve slope quality and extend the season. They work by forcing water and compressed air through a nozzle, which, combined with optimal ambient temperatures, creates snow.
As technology improved (early uses required reservoirs or lakes to provide the necessary water), the next logical step was to bring the snow cannon into the interior of artificially created ski slopes, thus providing the avid ski fan, snowboard enthusiast, amateur and virgin skier the opportunity to polish their technique in the blink of an eye. The temperature controlled environment ensures a perpetual supply of snow.
As for setting the standard among the indoor ski fraternity, the longest run in the world can be found in the AlpinCenter in Bottrop, Germany, with an impressive height of 640 m. the United Kingdom chill factor in Manchester it has the widest indoor ski slope at 100 m.
The latest development in man’s love of the impossible is the indoor ski resort. Experience a holiday freezing ski poles down a mountainside in notoriously snow-shy places like the United Arab Emirates.
Ski Dubai It was inaugurated in 2005 and is the largest snow dome in the world, with five slopes of different difficulty and an area equivalent to three football fields. The temperature stays between -1°C and -2°C throughout the day and drops to -6°C at night when the snow cannons are fired and the slopes are replenished. As in a real ski resort, there are chair lifts, ski lifts, freestyle areas, restaurants and even indoor “ski chalets” that, following the theme, face the slopes, offering views of the ski slopes.
So there it is, living proof that necessity is the mother of invention. Man’s driving compulsion to stare into the abyss and step forward, even when there is no snow at hand, has not only created the indoor ski slope, complete with covered ski snow, but has also banished snow burn. ski-related ropes to the dustbin of history.