Ice Bars, Ski Slopes, & Ice Rinks in Dubai
What to Do to Stay Cool? Top Tourism Attractions for a Dubai Holiday
Jul 5, 2009
It’s Dubai in the summer. Temperatures are well over 100 F (38 C). Relative humidity is about 90 percent. Tourists and residents are ready to melt. Oh for a bit of snow and ice! But wait….This is Dubai! There is a touch of winter in Dubai, even in summer.
Skiing at the Mall of the Emirates
The front-runner in “winter” sports in Dubai is the Mall of the Emirates’ Ski Dubai, off interchange 4 Sheikh Zayed Road. Ski Dubai , as the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East, offers skiing, snowboarding, and tobogganing.
The slopes are 280 feet high (85m) and 262 feet wide (80m) wide, with a capacity of 1500 guests. There are five runs, the longest at 1312 feet (400m), according to Ski Dubai. The Snow Park is another 32,292 sq ft (3000 sq m). Pitched as the world’s largest indoor snow park, it gives non-skiers or families with tots a chance to play in the snow, with tobogganing and an ice cave.
Temperatures stay just below freezing—cold enough to be refreshing, but not so cold as to be painful. Day passes include warm clothes, with parkas, gloves, and socks. Locker rentals are available. Snack and beverages are available to skiers, with more food options just outside for later or for people who prefer to watch.
- Daily timings: 10 am to 11 pm; Fri/Sat open at 9 am; Thurs/Fri close at midnight
- Cost , day pass for two hours of skiing and the Snow Park, including ski or snowboard equipment, helmets, boots, and warm clothes: Adults AED300 (82USD) , Children AED240 (65.50USD)
- Cost, Snow Park day pass, including warm clothes: Adults AED90 (24.50USD), Children AED80 (22USD)
Dubai Mall Offers Newest Recreation on Ice
The Dubai Ice Rink is one of five major recreation options at the new Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall, located at Sheikh Zayed Road interchange 1, is one of the largest malls in the world and sits adjacent to the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world.
The ice rink has an open and airy feel and was designed, according to Yousif Al Ali, General Manager of Dubai Mall, to be “completely visible from three levels of the mall’s main thoroughfares offering a theatre-like show to the enjoyment of shoppers passing by” (20 Oct 08 press release, Emaar Malls Group).
The Olympic-sized Ice Rink , which meets all international competition standards, offers public skates and group events. Lessons are available as well as day camps for children. Non-skating parents can keep an eye on their kids, entering the rink for AED15 (4.00USD) to sit in the 350-seat arena. Dubai Ice Rink turns into a dance club four evenings and two afternoons a week with an in-house DJ playing Arabic, Indian, and international popular music.
- Timings for public skates: see Dubai Ice Rink website
- Dance club skates: Fri/Sat 1.30 to 3.30 pm; Mon 8 to 10 pm; Thurs/Fri/Sat 9.45 to 11.45 pm
- Cost for a two-hour skate, with skates: AED50 (13.60USD)
Two Other Dubai Ice-Skating Venues
While the Dubai Ice Rink is definitely the biggest, glitziest ice arena in Dubai, it is not the only one.
Al Nasr LeisureLand, in Bur Dubai, has offered public skating and lessons at its ice rink since 1979, as well as a junior ice hockey league. Al Nasr is a membership-based club, but visitors are welcome on day rates.
- Timings: Not available
- Cost, including park admission, two hours skating, and skate rental: Adults AED25 (6.80USD); Children AED20 (5.50USD)
The Galleria Ice Rink, open since 1980, is in the Hyatt Regency Dubai complex on the Deira Corniche. This rink has a more intimate feel than the others, sitting at the center of the small Galleria shopping center. Lessons are available as well as snacks and beverages.
- Timings: Daily 10 am to 1.30 pm, 2.00 to 5.30 pm, 6 to 9 pm.; Fri/holiday closing, 8 pm
- Cost: AED25 (6.80USD) with skate rental, AED15 (4.10USD) without
Chillout Ice Café in Times Square Centre Good Place to Chill Out
Peering into the Chillout Ice Café from the Times Square Centre concourse is a surreal experience—the wide windows show a blue-tinted ice garden, with special LED lights reflecting color like the aurora borealis. The color show is so spectacular that Chillout won the 2007 Sound and Stage Award for Best Hospitality AV Installation, according to AME Info (07 May 08).
Inside is even more surreal for in the Middle East’s first ice bar almost everything really is made of ice, including seats, tables, glasses, and utensils. The only exceptions are the shearling covers for seats, clear acrylic table toppers , and non-skid floor tiles. The artwork is all ice too, ranging from ice chandeliers to a sculpture of Dubai’s skyline, according to Ivan Gale (22 June 07, “Dubai Gets First Ice Bar,” Gulf News).
Chillout, located between interchanges 3 and 4 of Sheikh Zayed Road, was built by Canadian company Iceculture Inc., noted for their ice bars in Stockholm, Amsterdam, and London. Admission includes a hooded parka, gloves, shoes and a mocktail (in keeping with Centre’s family-friendly focus). Hot beverages and light foods, including soups, sandwiches, and sushi , are available. The temperature is around 21 F ( -6 C), so Chillout recommends a stay of only 40 minutes.
- Timings: Daily 2 pm to 10 pm (Thurs/Fri until midnight)
- Costs: AED60 (16.33USD)
Even in the direst heat of summer, it is possible to make an escape right in Dubai and even be spoiled for choice between Ski Dubai, three skating rinks, and the Chillout Ice Café. And, if one doesn’t want to brave the cold, standing outside and looking in is almost as refreshing (and that part’s free!).
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