Ski Dubai
Real snow and penguins in the desert
Ski Dubai is the Middle East's original indoor snow resort, tucked inside the Mall of the Emirates, where real snow, five graded slopes and a resident penguin colony sit a few degrees below zero while the desert bakes outside.
Best known for
The snow centre
Ski Dubai is a fully enclosed snow resort built into the Mall of the Emirates, kept crisply below freezing with real snow all year round. Alongside its graded slopes it holds the world's first indoor black run, a large snow park for sledging and play, a ski school for complete beginners and a temperature-controlled home to a colony of Gentoo and king penguins. It suits families, curious first-timers wanting a taste of snow, and city visitors looking to swap the heat for a cold-weather afternoon. Equipment and warm clothing are provided, so you can arrive straight from the beach. It is as much a day-out attraction as a training slope.
Where else can you toboggan, take a first ski lesson and meet penguins between shopping trips, all while it is over forty degrees outside? Ski Dubai turns snow into a novelty and a genuine introduction to the sport in one climate-controlled hall.
The slope
On the map
Legend
Run difficulty
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced / Expert
- Freeride / Extreme
- Unknown
Run types
- Downhill — groomed
- Downhill — ungroomed
- Downhill — gladed
- Nordic (groomed)
- Ski tour
- ☾Lit (night)
- △Not patrolled
- →One-way
- ❄Snowmaking
Lifts
- Operating
- Operating (private)
- Non-operating
- Lift station
Slope-gradient grading
Downhill / ski tour
- Flat<3°
- Easy3–14°
- Intermediate14–22°
- Advanced / Expert22–45°
- Freeride / Extreme>45°
Nordic
- Easy<6°
- Intermediate6–9°
- Advanced>9°
Aspect (sun exposure)
- N — least sun
- E — morning
- S — most sun
- W — afternoon
Legend after OpenSkiMap
Stay near Ski Dubai
This is a day-trip venue rather than a resort, so base yourself in Dubai. The hotels clustered around the Mall of the Emirates and along Sheikh Zayed Road put you within easy reach, with the wider city's beach and downtown districts a short drive away.
A base in town — the snow centre is a day trip, not a resort stay.
Self-catering flexibility for a family visit or a longer city break.
Handy if the centre is a stopover between flights.
Book access to Ski Dubai
Snow sessions, lessons and slope passes for Ski Dubai.
Online access tickets for Ski Dubai will be bookable here shortly. In the meantime, book direct on the venue's own site.
How to get there
The nearest gateway is Dubai (DXB). Ski Dubai sits inside the Mall of the Emirates, a major shopping centre that is one of the city's easiest destinations to reach.
From central Dubai it is a short taxi ride, and the mall has its own Metro station on the city's driverless line, so no car is needed.
Nearby resorts
Other resorts within reach.
Snow Abu Dhabi
Faces north-west © Alireza Javaheri / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) Khor
- Vertical
- 409 m
- Lifts
- 1
پیست اسکی شمشک, Shemshak Ski Resort
- Vertical
- 478 m
- Lifts
- 5
Getting to Ski Dubai
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Dubai (DXB) — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.