Pumps Outsmart Nature to Create Fresh Snow in the Desert

For more coverage of Ski Dubai, view our slideshow, "Fresh Snow at Ski Dubai." A ski slope in the middle of a desert—it sounds a bit radical. However, modern technology has made skiing a possibility all over the world, no matter the geography, climate or time of year. Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope in one of the United Arab Emirates’ largest cities, offers gentle snowy slopes at any time of the year, regardless of the weather. Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. The resort, located at the Mall of the Emirates, offers 22,500 square meters (m²) covered year-round with real snow. Skiing and snowboarding are the main attractions, but the site also features a 3,000-m² snow park for families. The slope has five runs that vary in difficulty, height and gradient. The longest run, the world’s first indoor black piste, measures 400 m with a fall of more than 60 m.

Cooling the Slopes

Each day, the slope produces 30 tons of fresh snow. The slope’s top layer is brushed off daily, and a fresh layer is created overnight. The old snow is recycled within the resort or throughout the mall itself, either as chilled water for the air-conditioning system or irrigation on the mall grounds. The 6,000-ton snow base must maintain a constant temperature of minus 1 to minus 2 degrees Celsius during open hours. When the slope is closed, temperatures drop from minus 6 to minus 10 C. In the middle of Dubai’s surrounding desert, average outdoor temperatures vary between 25 and 48 C.

4 Strategies for Fresh Snow

Several engineering and design features work to deliver a total cooling experience for the resort.

1. Snow guns—The ski slope has real snow made from pure water. The water is chilled and pumped to snow guns on the slope’s ceiling. The snow guns fire atomized water into the air along with small ice particles. The cooled water crystallizes, producing unique structures much like natural snow.
2. Insulation—Double-layered insulation panels line the walls to protect the building from the extreme difference between the outdoor and indoor temperatures. An empty space between the roof and the ceiling of the slope allows an ample layer of air between the scalding outdoors and the frigid interior.
3. Blast coolers—Nearly two dozen blast coolers keep temperatures below freezing while skiers race down the slopes.
4. Glycol system—Pipes carry a glycol anti-freeze mixture beneath the slope’s snow, from the base to the top. A system of three ammonia storage tanks and heat exchangers cool the mixture to about minus 15 C. The glycol helps preserve the snow once it crystallizes and falls from the air.

Chiller Pumps

Designers during the project’s initial phase selected a complete pumping system that could secure a reliable chilled water circuit. Quality and system support were crucial features of the system, even during the project’s early steps. Twenty-four end-suction pumps circulate water in the chiller system. Customized shaft seals secure reliable operation at a constant water temperature of minus 4 C. Further customization with different metallurgy options allowed the pumps to meet the low-temperature operating demands. A wide range of sizes met most head and flow requirements. The chiller pumps have experienced no problems since their installation. They have successfully secured a consistent low temperature for snow production on the slope. This feat of engineering over nature has won the admiration of passionate skiers and their families—an average of more than 750,000 people now visit Ski Dubai per year.