The new biggest indoor snow centre in the world in terms of its snow covered area is nearing completion in China.
The centre will have six ski runs, far more choice than the one or two offered by most existing centres. The combined snow slope area of 86,000 square metres is around double the biggest slope area currently offered.
Eight lifts, comprising two chairlifts and six carpet lifts will serve the indoor ski resort, equalling the number at SnowWorld Landgraaf in The Netherlands.
The longest slope, at 520 metres long, will be the joint third longest in the world. Currently there are two indoor slopes of around 600 metres in length at Amneville in France and the Alpincentre in Germany. SnowWorld Landgraaf in the Netherlands which is the closest to Harbin in terms of its slope area, number of slopes (five) and lifts, also has a main run of 520m.
Apart from its size the Harbin centre is interesting in that it is one of the few built worldwide where it will actually be warmer skiing indoors than outdoors in winter. Harbin, in China’s leading ski province of Heilongjiang in the country’s north east, can see temperatures as low as -38 C (-36 F) in January, whilst indoors the slopes will be only a few degrees below freezing. This contrasts with the more usual scenario at centres like Ski Dubai where the snow centres are far colder then outdoor temperatures.
The Harbin centre will be Chinese 10th to become operational, making it the first country in the world to get in to double figures for indoor snow centres since Japan had around a dozen (most of which have since closed) operating in the 1990s. At least five more centres are currently under construction in China.
The current official opening date for the Harbin centre is 5th August 2017. Prior to that the first indoor snow centre in Africa, Ski Egypt, from the same company that created Ski Dubai, is due to open next spring. There will then be indoor snow centres operating on all continents except North America (where a centre was built in 2008 but is yet to open) and Antarctica.
