[Global Times special correspondent in Egypt Huang Peizhao] In people's impressions, most countries in the Middle East are hot and unbearable all year round, and it seems that they have no connection with skiing. However, this is not the case. Not to mention that countries like Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and other countries have natural ski resorts, even if countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries that do not snow all year round, there are indoor ski resorts, locals can avoid the outdoor hot sunshine in summer, release the passion of ice and snow in a cool environment, and enjoy the fun of snow sports.
The natural ski slopes are unexpected
In fact, there are also first-class natural ski resorts in some countries in the Middle East. In northern Lebanon, there is a small mountain town called Fayala, where the ski slopes are famous. December and February of the following year are the most skiers. The Fayala Ski Resort is also the only place frequented by Saudi Arabia's alpine skier Faik Abidy, who has been sent to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Located in the Erbulz Mountains at an altitude of more than 3,600 meters, Iran's Dijin Ski Resort is one of the largest and most well-equipped ski resorts in Iran and the Middle East. Known for its long ski slopes and the excellent snow quality known as "Persian snow powder", and only an hour's drive from Tehran, the capital of Iran, Dizin Ski Resort is very convenient for ski enthusiasts and is a good place for ice and snow sports in their hearts. In addition, Iran has the Samsak Ski Resort, second only to Dizin in scale, which was put into operation as early as 1958 and is one of the oldest ski resorts in the country.
There are also many ski resorts in Turkey, among which the Paradorcan Ski Resort can accommodate nearly 40,000 skiers and has 3,125 meters of natural ski trails. Along the long slopes of the ski resort, a state-of-the-art lighting system is installed so that people can ski even at night. The Uludag Ski Resort is located in Bursa, Turkey. In ancient times, Urudag was a hermitage for Christian monks, and the environment was quiet and cold. In modern times, people have opened up natural ski resorts there, with winding hills, spectacular peaks, more than 20 ski runs, and a radius of more than 300 kilometers, making Uludag a "paradise" for ski enthusiasts.
Even in North African countries such as Morocco and Algeria, where climates are relatively hot, there are naturally high-quality ski resorts. The Global Times reporter has been to Morocco many times to interview, the majestic Atlas Mountains, dividing Morocco into east and west, in winter, many parts of the Atlas Mountains fell snow, playing a prelude to skiing. The Okamadin Ski Resort is located in the Tobkar Mountains in the northern Atlas Mountains, and to get there, journalists need to travel through characteristic Berber villages hanging from the mountainsides. The Okimedin Ski Resort is considered the highest-lying ski resort in the entire North African region. In addition to the regular equipment as standard, the ski resort is equipped with a chair lift, 6 ski lifts and even an observatory, voted one of the 100 best ski resorts in the world.
Indoor ski slopes popularize snow sports
In the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, there are quite stylish indoor ski resorts, so that people can enjoy the joy of ice and snow sports all year round. One of the most famous is the ski slopes in Dubai, UAE.
Pictured is Ski Dubai and people skiing in their robes.
Officially opened in 2005, Ski Dubai is not only the first in the Middle East, but also known as the world's largest indoor ski resort, with a capacity of more than 2,000 people skiing at the same time. The Global Times reporter noticed at the scene that the ski resort was paved with more than 6,000 tons of snow, which was produced by snow machines that imitated natural snowfall, and everything was controlled by intelligent computers, and the technology was full of style. During the day, the temperature of the snow field is kept at a constant temperature of minus 1 degree, and at night it is controlled at about -9 degrees Celsius.
Ski Dubai has a total of 5 pistes, each with a different slope and difficulty, the longest one is about 500 meters long and has a drop of 68 meters. When it first opened, the local media commented that "the country that is as hot as a fire now finally has a rare snowy land, and the vast desert is beginning to drift with crystal clear snowflakes, making people feel as if they are in Siberia or the Alps, which is really incredible."
The entire Ski Dubai is covered in over 3,000 square metres of snow and is open all year round, allowing people to fully enjoy the invigorating sensation of skiing, snowboarding, sledding or just playing in the snow. The children were overjoyed and overjoyed, having snowball fights and building snowmen. Ski tickets are AED 275 (about 1.7 RMB for 1 UAE dirham) to watch, rest and try out in non-professional ski areas, and if skiing, adult tickets start at AED 260, depending on the program and time, you can choose different ski packages, up to a maximum of AED 510, including temporary rental of various types of ski equipment.
Wearing a robe and wandering in the snow and ice
The reporter noted that the indoor ski resorts in Dubai and Cairo are located in the local large-scale integrated shopping malls, so people can randomly go to the ski resorts to enjoy themselves while shopping, especially in the summer when the outdoor heat of more than 40 degrees is unbearable, hiding in the ski resort, the heat is suddenly dissipated, and it is very comfortable. People come here, more to play with snow and heat, so people who come to the ski resort wear everything, and the reporter has seen some men wearing the robes they are accustomed to wearing on weekdays and starting to ski.
There are very few professional skiers in the indoor ski resorts of Cairo and Dubai, and many come to ski only out of excitement about snow that they can't see in their daily lives. In response to this situation, these indoor ski resorts are equipped with instructors, starting from the most basic common sense, such as how to maintain the balance between the snowboard and the body, how to use force skillfully, how to accelerate and avoid obstacles.