There are two major malls in Dubai that we saw… The Dubai Mall was at the base of the Burj Khalifa; the Mall of the Emirates was a distance further from downtown, a short (indoor) walk from the Metro Station. Our hotel was nearby there.

Mall of the Emirates

The most distinctive feature of the Mall of the Emirates was the indoor ski hill. After all, if you’re going to go to the Middle East where it’s 35C in the shade, why not make it a ski trip? Everything you need to ski is for rent. The hill is fairly challenging, and the ski conditions not bad. The only downside was that the chair lift was not working when we went skiing, so the only way to the top was a poma lift. Fortunately I had extensive experience with that, including at Sunshine near Banff.

A view of the ski hill from the outside. (Standing near our hotel)

View from the top

View from the bottom

Me skiing

Chinese New Year celebrations…

A shop selling nothing but flip-flops.

Dubai Mall

This sculpture and waterfall is the most distinctive part of the Mall.

Also has an absolutely huge aquarium…

And a mall has to have an ice skating rink too…

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