Slippery Slope

The largest indoor snow park in the world opens on Friday in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai.

Built on what was previously desert sand, the slopes are to be covered with manufactured snow all year round.

The area under snow is the equivalent of three football pitches, with runs built inside a giant, slanting metal tube around 25 floors high.

The snow is made by shooting water at high pressure into an atmosphere maintained at around freezing point by coolers both below and above the slopes. This is in comparison to the harsh exterior conditions, where temperatures can reach well above 40C.