Long standing plans to build an indoor snow slope in a giant new shopping mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia appear to be back in play.

When first announced in 2016 the Mall Of Saudi’s ski slope (original design pictured above) was promoted as going to be the ‘longest indoors in the world’ (thus more than 640 metres long).  The complex was due at that time to open by 2022.

However, in subsequent years, as construction did not get underway, developer Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), the company behind Ski Dubai, Ski Egypt and others, scaled back the plans and a few years ago noted than the indoor ski slope was ‘paused’ completely.

Now though, it appears the plans are back, but with a shorter ski slope and a stronger emphasis on a snow park aspect offering several fun-filled activities (pictured below). Although not thought to be planned to include the new world’s longest slope anymore, the 40,000 m² of indoor snow will still be one of the world’s 10 largest indoor snow areas.

Construction of the SAR16 billion Mall of Saudi has continued even without the snow centre plans formalised and it is expected to open by early 2026.

Besides the snow area it will feature more than 600 stores, a 275-key hotel, a Carrefour hypermarket spread across 9,000 m², and a dedicated dining area that will be spread across 33,200 m².

Riyadh already has had two smaller indoor snow play areas. Snowmagic Riyadh opened in 2006 and Snow City Riyadh, with a 5,000sqm snow play area, in 2016.  The latter, which has a sister facility in Egypt is still operational, the status of the original centre is unknown.

Saudi Arabia is also working on an outdoor ski area with a combination of dry slopes and slopes maintained by all-weather snowmaking machines. Called Trojena, it is expected to start opening in the next few years and will host the Asian Winter Games in 2029.