Columns Archives - Page 21 of 34

Construction of what could be the world’s next biggest indoor snow centre appears to have finally got underway in Shanghai more than five years after the project was originally announced. The world’s media have given prominence to a ‘ground-breaking ceremony’ for the project, originally called ‘Winterland Shanghai’ (image below) but now re-named slightly, ‘Wintastar Shanghai’ and the original artist’s impression edited to suit. The complex has been designed by the renowned international experts in indoor snow centres, the Dutch-based company, Unlimited Snow. Originally slated to be complete by 2019, the new completion date is 2022, to coincide with China hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. The price tag for the project also seems to have halved from an originally quoted approximately $2 billion US to nearer $1 billion in the latest announcements. However it remains big and claims of having the biggest indoor snow centre by area in the world (currently held by the Harbin indoor snowdome in Northeast China) and the longest run (currently claimed by ski slopes in France and Germany with about 620 metre long slopes) look set to be broken. The latest announcements give some stats that were previously lacking and talk of 90,000 square metres of snow space which would overtake Harbin by about 50%. The project will be a joint development between Singapore-listed property developer KOP and several Chinese state-owned enterprises and will be located in the city’s growing leisure district which houses Shanghai Disneyland and other attractions. The Dubai based Majid Al Futtaim group which operate Ski Dubai and Ski Egypt will run the centre which is expected to attract more than 3 million visitors annually and to use green technology to minimise its energy consumption. Mr Mohammad El Etri, director of global snow operations and projects at Majid Al Futtaim told media, “We're also very committed to green energy. So this will not only be the biggest indoor ski resort, but it will also be the most energy-efficient one." As a number of indoor snow centres in Germany and The Netherlands are almost self-sufficient in energy needs thanks to vast solar farms on their rooves, this means it should be very energy efficient indeed. (Snowworld in The Netherlands is energy self-sufficient on "sunny summer days" thanks to its solar array) The original plans said the ski resort area will be connected to other facilities within the development including a water park, a tree-lined hiking trail and a "beach club". According to the company’s website at the time the complex would provide, “…residents and visitors with year-round access to winter sports activities, ice sculpture competitions and more. The facility will feature a ski-in / ski-out chalet-style hotel that will bring the slopes right to guests’ doorsteps. Winterland Shanghai will be a live, work, play community with a monorail, gardens, retail, and food and beverage space as well as an ultra-modern full entertainment centre with a 4-D theatre offering movies, theatrical shows and concerts.” Between 2002 and 2009, when the centre closed, Shanghai was home to one of the world’s biggest indoor snow slopes, LongZhu Hokkaido Shanghai Dashung Indoor Snow (it officially ranks 7th by size on the all-time list). China operates more indoor snow centres that any other country in the world with one report claiming 21 are now operational, although some of those listed are difficult to confirm. Several more are known to be under construction and in some cases close to completion.

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