NOV 22, 16 .. SKI DUBAI .. MY FIRST VISITS

Last June, in Toledo, Ohio, when, thanks to Alaska Airlines, I knew that I would be visiting Dubai, the very first thing that I wanted to see was the indoor ski slope that I had heard about.

I have now made two visits to Ski Dubai.

Ski Dubai is located within one of Dubai's largest shopping malls, Mall of the Emirates.

Here we go with a look at Ski Dubai.

One way to see Ski Dubai is from the outside of the actual venue. You don't have to enter the venue to see it. You can look in at it through large window walls from within the Mall of the Emirates.

I showed this in the below Post. If you want to re-visit it, just click onto the below link.

http://bobbacaps.blogspot.ae/2016/10/oct-15-16-dubais-mall-of-emirates.html

In the below photos, we are looking through the large window wall at Ski Dubai.

There is not too much that can replace the joy of having a friend who lives here and who KNOWS from personal experience the ropes about Ski Dubai.

Thanks So Much Irish Tom.

Until you know what you are looking for, and the photos that follow the first photo below will give you that advantage, when Tom said to me as we were driving on the expressway, "Over there is Ski Dubai."

Just above and to the left of the car in front of us below, in the far distance, you see the exterior of Ski Dubai. Again, the photos that follow after the first one below, you will see it up close and personal and return to the below photo if you wish to find it.

Below you can't miss seeing the exterior of Ski Dubai.

We are in the roof top parking lot of the Mall of the Emirates in the below photo. Ski Dubai is in the distance past the orange wall.

Now you can really see it up close and personal.

The above structure is the very uppermost area of Ski Dubai. It gives you some idea of the size of Ski Dubai. Without Irish Tom showing me around, I would have missed all of this.

One more time, Thanks So Much Irish Tom.

To repeat, inside of this gigantic structure, is Ski Dubai.

Below you see Ski Dubai bending around to the right. It is enormous.

We are inside of the Mall of the Emirates.

The mall entrance to Ski Dubai.

I took the above photos on a 'reconnaissance mission' with Irish Tom prior to actually going to the Mall of the Emirates to enter Ski Dubai. I wanted to really have a feel for the venue. 

Now we are going to Ski Dubai 'for real'.

I went online to get my admission pass for Ski Dubai.

I paid US $68.30 or AED 250 for my Ski Dubai Super Pass. By going on line, I paid 50% of the advertised cost of AED 500, the third option from the top in the below price list.

Onto the bus and the Dubai Metro and we are off for Ski Dubai. Fully air conditioned bus waiting shelters.

Beautiful mall. Magnificent mall.

You have seen the below entry several times. This time I am entering the venue 'for real'.

Even though you have paid for your visit, you still need to go through a ticket counter.

It took me one full hour (1-Hour) to get my credentials for entry. I forgot! Friday is their weekly religious holiday. Friday is the first day of their weekend here in the UAE. 

Yes, Sunday is the first day of their workweek. 

I picked an absolutely jam packed, crowded to-the-hilt, Friday to visit. Oh My. Pick Sunday (their Monday), pick Monday or Tuesday or even Wednesday to visit.

Ski Dubai is really set up very nicely. If you so choose, and very few seemed to do so, there are very nice changing rooms to get into warmer clothing. There is a small charge of 30 AED / US $8.57 for this benefit which includes a locking storage locker.

I was given a very nice, down filled, knee length coat to wear. You can see my coat in the above and below photos.

Your admission includes being provided with warm clothing. You do NOT get to keep the clothing. I was quite happy with my full, knee-length, coat. The temperature is kept at -4 C degrees / 25 F. Let me assure you, after an hour or more, it got to feeling cold. Keep in mind that we are all used to an outdoor ambient temperature of + 90 F / 32 C.

In the below photo you can see the clothing everyone else was given to wear. I have no idea why I was given my green coat.

You get to keep gloves they give you.

A first class, very fine, facility. 

The actual entrance. 

Here you need your proof of ticketing to go further.

In addition to the above 'wrist band', you get a credit card sized plastic entry card. You pay a fully refundable AED 20 / US $5.71 to assure you return your entry credential.

We are now inside of Ski Dubai.

First, right here at the beginning, I am going to show you the chair lift. During my visit, I did not go straight to the chair lift. Initially I walked around so that I could understand the venue. I rode the chair lift about 45-minutes after I entered.

When I first looked in from the outside (below photo) at Ski Dubai and I saw the chair lift I said to myself, "This is really something!"

Now I am inside of Ski Dubai, live and very up close to the chair lift.

The next three photos, taken from the chair lift entrance, give you a good idea of the final, lower section, of the ski slope.

No! Can it be? Even in Dubai's Ski Dubai, skiers fall!

Now we are going to actually ride the chair lift. I am seated. Safety bar down and in place.

Age 80-years. My first ever chair lift. In Dubai, in the Middle East. It is in the 90s F outside.

If you think I shot a lot of photos, your are spot on. One in three are shown. I was rocking and rolling on the chair lift and it was dark inside thus many photos were blurry.

In the below photo, the ski run turns to the left and continues up higher to its beginning. This is the lower section of the run.

Tower 2, we have just begun our chair lift ride.

Below we have reached the point where the ski run bends left and continues uphill. As you will see, the chair lift mechanism, in making the turn, made it impossible to see the ski slope.

You better believe I will keep it lowered and locked in place.

 Now we are heading to the very top / beginning of the ski run.

Towers 9 and 10 coming up Captain.

We are now at-the-top. The chair lift will make a U-turn and head back down.

How many people get to see the top of the ski run at Ski Dubai.

We are into our U-turn.

Straight ahead in the below photo, is the top of one of two 'tow lines' that pull skiers up the hill giving them an option to using the chair lift. The chair lift gets filled with tourists like myself and the skiers want to ski thinking, "Get these tourists out of my way."

Looking to the left in the next two photos, you can see further below that the ski run is going to turn to the right.

I don't know for sure, but below looks like an area that beginners are going to use to learn to ski.

Below we are at the dog leg to the right.

If one is afraid of heights, one might get just a 'tad queezy' up here on the chair lift. Look below, we are really up in the air.

Now we can see the end of the ski run further down below.

The chair lift now makes its dog leg to the right. What a mass of machinery!

Hi Tower 5.

It is somewhat difficult to ascertain, but we are still fairly high up in the air. I would not want to jump from the chair lift.

Tower 2, we are almost 'home'.

You will be seeing a lot of photos of the area you are seeing from the chair lift in these photos. If you can see it, in both the above and below photos, is a dark brown wooden tower to the left of a snow mountain. I climbed up this tower to shoot many photos.

Well! That-Is-That for our chair lift expedition / adventure.

Below are a few photos of the skiers who have skied down Ski Dubai and are coming into the chair lift area for a ride back up for another run.

 

I have a flight to Hong Kong to catch Friday, and some meetings to attend, so I am not 'going to go crazy' getting Ski Dubai fully covered here.

Sign me Skier Cap.

I am planning to take a ski lesson. Great Captain. The day before your flight you risk getting hurt and having to stay longer in Dubai.