Snow City, the new hot ticket in the Saudi capital
RIYADH: Having to wear ski jackets in Riyadh is unheard of, but a new snow park in the Saudi capital has made them a must despite outside temperatures exceeding 45 Celsius.
Saudi women wearing the compulsory traditional abaya that covers the body from head to toe are now donning thermal coats and cosy boots as they sit on sledges to scoot down the slopes of “Snow City”.
Unusually in the ultra-conservative kingdom that applies strict segregation rules and where even restaurants have separate sections for “families” and single men, they are also joined by males.
The complex is a rarity in Saudi Arabia where there are only small-scale amusement parks for children, and where cinemas or theatres are not allowed.
Stretching over 5,000 square metres (53,800 square feet), the entertainment project does not have proper ski pistes as such, but its modest indoor slopes still manage to provide frosty fun in a country that is mostly desert and searing heat.
“I’ve never touched snow,” says Ali al-Ajmi, 40, who has never travelled out of the Arabian Peninsula.
Dozens of people throng the front counter to gain access to the play area which opened in mid-July after four years of construction work costing some 100 million riyals ($26.7 million, 24 million euros).
Where’s the sun?
Surprisingly, women currently represent the bulk of visitors in a country where they are subject to strict constraints, including a globally unique ban on driving.
One employee at Snow City said the centre’s management initially faced the problem of not having enough boots for women as they had not expected females to represent more than 10 per cent of visitors.
In fact, women have so far exceeded 75 per cent of the numbers flocking to frolic in Alpine temperatures. “There is privacy and we’re enjoying our time here,” says one woman who identifies herself as Umm Ahmed, 37. “I like the place. It provides entertainment.” The temperature inside is a cool -3 degrees Celsius (26.6 degrees Fahrenheit).