Saudi Arabia Is Working On A State-Of-The-Art Desert Ski Resort

The ski season in Trojena will last for three months annually, while the rest of the year visitors can engage in other outdoor activities.

The nation is spending around $500 billion to construct a winter resort in the mountains of Neom. The province of Tabuk, in the country's north-west, is the site of the new urban development project, home to a surreal ski resort called Trojena, with mind-bending augmented and virtual reality design elements, an artificial lake, and breathtaking panoramas.

According to Neom's Marketing and Communication Manager Clark Williams Skiing in Saudi Arabia is really more simpler than it sounds. Williams commented:

“The truth is that we just need -3 degrees Celsius in order to create snow in Neom and we can do that for three months of the year. [...]

“In our snow-making, we’re going to utilise as many sustainable resources as possible, whether that’s solar or whether that’s wind power.

“We’ll also be using water from our desalination plant, which is a cutting-edge solution and we’re trying to collect as much water from the (snow) melt as possible”.

In the highlands near to Neom, the temperature naturally goes below 0 degrees in winter. Trojena's developers say they are trying to reduce water use and increase water recovery in the interest of sustainable tourism. The water would be recycled into the system that produces the resort's snow-like powder.

In the winter, skiers may take use of Trojena's 36 kilometres of slopes, while in the summer, water sports enthusiasts and cyclists can take advantage of the artificial lake. During the hot season, when temperatures in the Gulf rise to unbearable levels, inhabitants would appreciate Trojena's 10 degree cooler average temperature and lack of humidity.

Trojena assures visitors they'll find everything they need in the standard mountain community. That includes places to eat and a high-end spa for when you need some downtime from the slopes. When the ski center opens in late 2026 or early 2027, the ski resort will have multiple hotels ready to welcome guests. Construction workers are now occupying the site while planning and preliminary design are underway.

Trojena will serve as more than a picnic area for visitors. According to current designs, the vertical community will be home to around 7,000 permanent inhabitants.

However, Neom will also include the Red Sea's Sindalah, a luxury island set to open as the first destination in 2024, as well as the futuristic, floating industrial metropolis of OXAGON and the 170 km long city of THE LINE, which might one day be home to 9 million people.

 

source: euronews.com