World’s New Largest Indoor Snow Centre Opens in China

The latest indoor snow centre to claim to be the largest in the world has opened in the mega-tech city of Shenzhen, close to the World Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Although there are still centres with longer runs and a slightly bigger indoor vert, Shenzhen Ice & Snow World is the first to report 100,000 sqm of indoor snow terrain (almost 25 acres or the equivalent of 11 football fields).

Almost four times larger than Ski Dubai, it overtakes L*Snow in Shanghai which only opened a year ago with a reported 90,000sqm of indoor snow and also means that the world’s six largest indoor snow centres, and 11 of the largest 15, are all in China.

The centre is also remarkable in that it looks very cool. Inspired by a blue whale leaping from water, it has a cyberpunk LED exterior. Design Partners at 10 Design, Chin Yong Ng and Lukasz Wawrzenczyk, won an invited competition to design the centre from the Sunac group, which operates most of China and the world’s biggest snow centres.

Shenzhen’s Ice & Snow World has five competition-level slopes certified by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, the longest 441m long, and an indoor skiable vertical of 83 metres. Temperatures are maintained at −6°C year-round in a city where summer temperatures average 31C/88F.

The also incorporates snow play zones including terrain parks for skiers and boarders as well as snow fun activities for all ages, including non-skiers. There’s a suspended 33m high ice waterfall which itself contains a 33m-deep indoor diving facility. In the dry area of the complex there’s an indoor wave pool with water heated to +28°C, a rock climbing wall, and cycling tracks.

A three hour beginner ski pass is available that includes gear and clothing hire except gloves, goggles, masks, and advanced zones. 4 hour and all-day passes for intermediate/advanced level skiers that include access to more advanced terrain are also on sale.

For overnight stays there’s a JW Marriott hotel with panoramic views of the ski slopes and the complex also features additional retail, office, hospitality and dining facilities.

Shenzhen is located in Guangdong province in the south of China where snow and frost are almost never seen and the lowest temperatures in winter are still around +12C.  At 120 million, Guangdong’s population would place it in the top 13 countries in the world. Around 15 million people live in Shenzhen alone, which already has two indoor snow centres.

Ice and Snow World appears to have been financed by the Chinese state-owned Zhuhai Huafa Group which is reported to have invested over 29.6 billion yuan (US$4.15 billion) in the project, which Shenzhen city government support.

“With the theme of ice and snow as the core feature, we expect to create an efficient and complex cultural tourism complex,” Hu Qi, an official in charge of design at Zhuhai Huafa, told the People’s Daily.

The paper also spoke to Huang Yuanchao, deputy general manager of Huafa’s Shenzhen branch, who said: “The centre will host international competitions and promote skiing for all. Snow quality at the resort would meet the standards for hosting international skiing competitions, and future plans might include starting a youth winter games training camp.”

An even larger indoor ski area is currently under construction and due to open in 2029. The first stage of Taicang Alps Resort near Shanghai, which incorporates a Club Med, has already opened but the new Phase 2 will give a combined size of 190,000 sqm (47 acres) of indoor snow area.