News Updates

15/08/08
Over 100 Engineers Working On 2.6km Indoor Ski Slope For Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s National newspaper has reported that a team of 114 German engineers  have been laying ground works for what will be by far the biggest indoor snow slope in the world at Jebel Hafeet at 2.6km (1.7 miles) long.  That is five times longer than the existing longest indoor slopes in Holland and Germany and six and a half times longer than neighbour Ski Dubai.  The full area of the slope will be 337,000 square metres, about ten times the largest indoor slope area at present.
Reports say that sections of the slope, although possibly not all, will be indoors, with movable sections to allow different slope configurations.  Parts of the slope will also be supported by stilts and there will be an indoor ski jump.
The development, called Jebel Hafeet Glacier, will also include a theme park, golf courses, two hotels and a retail area at the base of the mountain called.
Full construction work on what is reported to be “A massive green community” is due to commence in October at Jebel Hafeet, the best known of Abu Dhabi’s mountains.  A solar energy farm at one corner of the mountain will provide some of the energy requirements.
The project still needs final approval from the Government because the mountain has historic sites and a hot springs area set up by the late Sheikh Zayed. Jebel Hafeet rises about 1,240 metres; the highest mountain in the UAE is Jabal Yibir, which is 1,527 metres.  It is hoped construction will be completed by 2013 and that it could then host International Ski Federation competitions.