Snow in the Desert?

Villages covered in a layer of white powder make everything feel magical. Narnia-esque alpine resorts with chocolate-box houses and skis and snowboards ‘parked’ outside bars and cafes are any photographer’s dream. Then, even more outstanding are the views from the mountain, the snow-covered and wind-blown trees and sunsets and sunrises over rugged peaks.

But for many photographers the action is where it’s at. Snow poses a challenge as far as getting the lighting and colour right on the camera and sometimes to get the best images you have to hike up almost endless mountain paths, through deep powder and in risky conditions. However, you can get some amazing images of skiing and snowboarding in Dubai without all this trouble.

Yes, you read correctly, Dubai. Dubai has one of the world’s largest indoor real-snow slopes. It has five runs that vary in difficulty, even including the world’s first indoor black run. The longest run is 400 metres with a 60-metre drop gradient. The place is huge. It is equivalent to three football fields, it is around 25 stories high and has a quad-chair lift and a 3000 square metre Snow Park with a snow cavern.

But, what will appeal most to action photographers is the massive fun park. There are plenty of kickers, boxes and rails to test even the best snowboarders out there and with access this easy, photographers can just take a pew on the side of the park and let the snowboarders or free skiers have fun.

The ‘resort’, which also has accommodation, bars and restaurants may not be the best place for powder hounds and hard-core skiers and snowboarders, but if you are a beginner or like the park, then it is ideal. When the rest of the northern hemisphere is closing shop for the summer, Dubai is still going strong. This means you can hone your skills, whether that be on the piste or with your camera, before the winter season kicks off again in the autumn.

Furthermore, because it is real snow you can get to grips with the tricky lighting conditions that are posed by blanket whiteness. This is one of the hardest things about winter sports photography, and if you only have a few months a year to perfect the technique it can take a great many seasons to get it right. However, if you can work on it during the summer as well, then you should be up to speed before you hit the real slopes next season.

DialAFlight offer cheap flights to Dubai so make the most of it this summer and enjoy snow in the desert.