It feels incongruous dressed in ski clothes, hurtling down the ski slope in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates while it is 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) outside.Now Dubai is once more going countercultural with the development of an Olympic-sized ice rink as part of the new Dubai Mall.
The 1.5 inches (38 mm) thick ice will provide the cool platform for up to 2,000 visitors at a time to enjoy a two hour session on any day of the week.
The largest mall in the world, the Dubai Mall, is billed to open on 30 October 2008 with 12 million+ square feet, 1,200 stores and 16,000 car spaces. It is expecting 35 million visitors in its first year of operation. This Dh 2.6 billion project at the heart of the Burj Dubai will be the largest commercial centre in the UAE.
More About:
Dubai Ice Rink, Press Release, Dubai Mall, 20 June 2008.
Ice Rink Technical Details, AME Info, 26 October 2008.
Dubai Mall Web Site.
UAE Malls: Shopping the Emirates, ETE, 4 April 2007.
Skiing in Dubai! ETE, 25 March 2008.
Dr Geoff Pound
Image: Ice rink in the Dubai Mall.
