Tag Archives: Ski Dubai

Posted on by

Majid Al Futtaim held successful inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai

Majid Al Futtaim held successful inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai

 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — The inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai witnessed extraordinary skiing and snowboarding performances by more than 130 home-grown snow sports athletes. Concluded recently, the first-of-its-kind event was organised by Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, under the patronage of Dubai Police and the Community Sport initiative of H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai – Chairman of the Executive Council – Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council. The championship was held on December 8th and 9th, 2017, and was supported by the UAE National Olympics Committee and UAE Ice Sports Federation

Attended by hundreds of cheering fans, the country’s biggest ever snow sports event opened with an impressive performance by Dubai Police band, which marched from Ski Dubai through to Central galleria and back to Ski Dubai enthralling visitors along the way.

The championship, which was divided into four snow sports disciplines, provided unparalleled thrills for snow sports fans and enthusiasts from the UAE and beyond and marks a crucial step in ensuring the UAE’s membership in the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

The  alpine competition on day one was opened by renowned athletes: Gorgio Rocca, winner of 11 World Cup races in Alpine Skiing and four times Olympian, up and coming British snowboarder Sparrow Knox; and 2010 X games big air gold medallist Halldor Helgason. For the second day the freestyle judging panel included 5 international judges headed up by World Cup head Judge Martin Carr. Dedicated to ensuring the championship was held to the highest of global standards, the highly esteemed panel of judges invested all of their efforts to encourage the young participants throughout the event.

There were a total of 30 winners across four disciplines, 18 of whom were UAE nationals, underscoring the growing popularity of snow sports in the Arab world and Ski Dubai’s relentless pursuit to foster and mentor new skiing and snowboarding athletes.

Following world-class display of snow sports skills by participants in Alpine speed disciplines of Slalom Skiing and Giant Slalom, the winners for day-one were announced. Robyn Leslie (GBR) took the top prize in Slalom Skiing Women’s category while Oscar Morgan (AUS) won the Men’s category. Giant Slalom first place was a tie between Robyn Leslie (GBR) and Summer Spendlove (GBR) in the Women’s category, while Oscar Morgan (AUS) swept the top prize in the men category.

The second day of the championship was equally spell binding as the UAE Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Championships in two freestyle disciplines; Slopestyle and Big Air got underway. The day saw performances by a further ten snow sports athletes; Ayshia Al Tamimi (UAE) claimed the gold in Slopestyle Ski women category and Faisal Abdulla (UAE) in the Slopestyle Ski men category, while Saaed Almatrooshi (UAE) swept up the first prize in the Slopestyle Snowboard male category.

Big Air, a more extreme version of Slopestyle where competitors are awarded points based on the Degree of Difficulty of their tricks on a huge jump , was won by Meera Sahoo (UAE), Faisal Abdulla (UAE) and Saaed Almatrooshi (UAE) Freestyle Ski Women category, Freestyle Ski men category and men snowboard category respectively.

Commenting on the competition, Ahmed Galal Ismail – CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Ventures, said: “It is a matter of great pride for Ski Dubai to have been given the opportunity to work with Dubai Police to organise the first-ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships. The championships were a resounding success and this day forward, snow sports in the UAE has entered a new and exciting era of growth and popularity. Having successfully hosted a championship of this scale, I am confident that Ski Dubai will soon become one of the preferred international destinations for snow sports and will host many similar events in the future.

“We are also thankful for the invaluable support provided by Dubai Police, Dubai Sports Council, UAE National Olympics Committee and UAE Ice Sports Federation, which enabled us to organise championships of such stature,” Ahmed Galal Ismail added.

Ski Dubai would like to thank sponsor partners including; ENOC, Aqdar, Sheraton, Empower, Emarat, Emirates NBD, Dutco and Capriole. In addition, Ski Dubai would also like to thank their sponsors including; ZSI Trading, Rossignol and Spyder, as well as and Burton who are proud partners and sponsors of the Ski Dubai Alpine and Freestyle team.

Media Contact:

Carine Arif
Weber Shandwick
04 445 4222
MAFLeisure@webershandwick.com

Source: Majid Al Futtaim

###

Posted on by

Majid Al Futtaim: Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure will be brought to life at Ski Dubai

Majid Al Futtaim: Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure will be brought to life at Ski Dubai from 10th December

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2017-Dec-11 — /EPR Retail News/ — Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, will be providing residents and visitors the opportunity to create more great moments, with an extra special white Christmas experience in Dubai this year, as Ski Dubai becomes home to Frozen’s Olaf this festive season.

From 10th December, Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure will be brought to life in the ski resort where guest will be able to journey through a glittering archway into the kingdom of Arendelle and the wonderful world of Olaf. Once inside, visitors will travel through the frozen forest venturing into various festive zones, celebrating Christmas traditions from around the world:

  • The Snow Globe zone: with a life-size Snow Globe complete with much-loved Frozen favourites waiting to have their picture taken.
  • Snowman making zone: where guests can build their very own Olaf.
  • Santa’s Grotto: where the man himself will be making an appearance from 10th – 24th December giving out gifts to to all of the good girls and boys as a pre-Christmas treat.
  • Ski Dubai’s famous Christmas tree: this 40ft wonder will be adding a flourish of Christmas spirit to the winter wonderland.

Guests can then warm up with a cup of hot chocolate in Olaf’s Warm Hug area, before visiting the pop-up retail zone featuring limited edition Olaf merchandise.

Olaf’s residency at Ski Dubai coincides with the loveable snowman’s latest big screen 22-minute movie, Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, which will be playing alongside Pixar’s film Coco, showing in all VOX Cinemas until 14th December.

Disney’s Olaf’s Wintery Adventure at Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates will be open from 10th December – 24th December. Admission is AED 150 per person for entry to Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure at Ski Dubai with a free hot chocolate and a VOX Cinema ticket for standard 2D entry to see Pixar’s Coco along with Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. AED 130 per person for entry to Disney’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure at Ski Dubai with a free hot chocolate. For more information and bookings please visit www.skidxb.com.

SOURCE: MAJID AL FUTTAIM

 

Posted on by

The first-ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai, December 8 and 9, 2017

The first-ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai, December 8 and 9, 2017

 

Dubai Police and Ski Dubai to Host First Ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2017-Dec-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Under the patronage of Dubai Police and the Community Sport initiative of H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai – Chairman of the Executive Council for Dubai Government and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, is organising the first-ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai. The championships are also supported by the UAE National Olympics Committee and UAE Ice Sports Federation and Dubai Sports Council and will be held on December 8 and 9, 2017.

The National Championships are organised as part of Ski Dubai’s on-going efforts to promote snow sports in the country, and fulfil one of the key requirements laid out by International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) for membership. Once the UAE receives membership to FIS, snow sports athletes from the country will be allowed to compete internationally for the first time.

This is exciting news for snow sports athletes and enthusiasts in the UAE, who will no longer be restricted to local and regional events and can now aspire to make a mark on an international stage. The UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships herald a new era for snow sports in the country, which continues to go from strength to strength since the inception of Ski Dubai.

The championships, which are divided into four snow sports disciplines, will see more than 200 top athletes from the UAE, many of whom have honed their skills on the slopes of Ski Dubai, battle it out for the title honours. The first day will witness the UAE Alpine Ski Championships with athletes participating in the fiercely competitive Alpine speed disciplines of Slalom Skiing and Giant Slalom. The second day will feature the UAE Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Championships under two freestyle disciplines: Slopestyle and Big Air. The competitions will be adjudicated by a panel of four distinguished international judges, headed up by World Cup judge Martin Carr. Other renowned international guests and judges on the panel include: Gorgio Rocca, winner of 11 World Cup races in Alpine skiing and four times Olympic Champion, Halldór Helgason, winner of 2010 X-Games in Snowboard Big Air discipline and Sparrow Knox, the up and coming British Snowboarder.

Over the past decade, Ski Dubai has been committed to creating and supporting local talent and has helped lead the way in building and growing snow sports in the UAE. From organising regular freestyle nights and races at its state-of-the-art facilities, to mentoring, coaching and encouraging young athletes to develop their skills to an international standard, years of continued work by Ski Dubai and its partners has now come to fruition in the shape of the first-ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships.

Commenting on the championships, Ahmed Galal Ismail – CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Ventures said: “We are proud to host the inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai. We are committed to fostering snow sports talent in the country and our goal is to make the UAE and Ski Dubai an international destination for the sport. With approximately one million visitors per year, which is on par with the international benchmark for major ski resorts, Ski Dubai is poised to become one of the major global destinations for Ski and Snowboard Championships. It is immensely fulfilling to see world-class athletes, many of whom have learned and refined their craft at Ski Dubai, creating great moments as they take part in this prestigious event.”

Colonel Khaled Ali Shahil, General Director of the Community Happiness Department at Dubai Police added: “We support every activity that is aimed at bettering the lives of citizens and residents of the UAE. The UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships are opening new avenues to promote snow sports in the country and develop home-grown talent in the field. This will eventually lead to the formation of the UAE National Ski and Snowboarding team, which is a matter of great pride for the nation and will bolster the country’s stature on the international snow sports stage.”

Dubai Police in association with the Dubai Positive Soul initiative and the Dubai Sports Council, along with the UAE Olympics Committee, are providing valuable logistical and strategic support for the first UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championship event. Dubai Police are Ski Dubai’s esteemed partner, and have played an integral part in the pre-planning of the Championships. As part of this they have generated a huge amount of support for this event, engaging a number of sponsors including ENOC, Aqdar, Sheraton, Empower, Emirat, Emirates NBD, Dutco and Capriole. In addition, Ski Dubai would also like to thank their sponsors including; ZSI Trading, Rosinol and Spyder, as well as and Burton who are proud partners and sponsors of the Ski Dubai Alpine and Freestyle team.

Commenting on the championships, HE Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council said: “H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai – Chairman of the Executive Council – Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council has launched several initiatives to promote an active lifestyle among the residents of the UAE, and Ski Dubai’s launch of the National Championships is in line with that vision. The UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships, will boost the awareness of snow sports in the country and attract new people to the sport, whilst globally showcasing the talented athletes to emerge from the UAE.”

Ski Dubai recently announced the launch of its Sponsored Athletes team with an impressive roster of experienced coaches, who will guide the athletes over the coming years. The line-up includes: Mohamed Moulay, a former Moroccan National Ski Team member and experienced race coach, James Machon, a former Great Britain Olympic Freestyle skier and Mike Barker, whose experience includes five years as a coach of the British Children’s team. The entire project is headed up by Chris David, Snow Sports Operations Manager at Ski Dubai. Chris is a former GBR athlete and was Head Freestyle Moguls Ski Coach for Great Britain.

Media Contact:

Carine Arif
Weber Shandwick
04 445 4222
MAFLeisure@webershandwick.com

Source: Majid Al Futtaim

###