China Building World's Largest Indoor Ski and Snow Resort
Before my first visit to Ski Dubai, I thought an indoor ski resort sounded like a gimmick of mountainous proportions. Snow in the middle of a 115-degree desert, with a (very) expensive "chalet" overlooking the slopes? Nah, I'm not spending any hard-earned money on that. I've since visited two more times.
As it turns out, indoor skiing makes a lot of sense when it's scorching hot outside, and, when done right, it can be quite a bit of fun. So I follow the "indoor ski" scene with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm, from a 1.2-kilometer run coming soon to the UAE, to the new world's largest indoor ski and snow complex, which recently broke ground just outside Shanghai.
Wintastar Shanghai's Ski & Snow Park will measure nearly one million square feet — 90,000 square meters, to be exact. Ski Dubai, by comparison, is just 22,500 square meters.
According to the developer, the complex will offer "a combination of three ski slopes of varying gradients including a slope of Olympic standard for training; ski runs, and over 25 snow play attractions for non-skiers." An ice hotel is apparently also in the works, as are four themed hotels and a giant water park. Sounds like quite the all-season destination!
Sadly Wintastar isn't committing to an opening date, though a project of this magnitude will surely take several years to complete.
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