We came, we saw, we skied Dubai

Well, Wendy and Riley did, anyway.



Christopher and Jonah and Jon went into the Snowpark area instead--where they'd lions and tigers and camuels--. Or rather they have a mini-luge, ice caves, climbing tower, and tube and toboggan slopes.





We'd wanted to get Christopher skiing as well, but as a novice he was required to take a series of complicated and inconveniently scheduled lessons. They're like "Lesson 1: Snow Discovery." And we're like, "Yah, but he's, like, Canadian, eh." And they're like, "Too much so sorry, but no choice." And we're like, "Bummer, dude."

That's life on the roundabout. Anyway, a good time was had by all, except for our camera, which didn't much like the cold on top of the battery problems it's already having. And speaking of cold, -4 never felt so frigid. i mean, we handled it, and it was kinda fun seeing all the desert people bundled up so much, but by golly we've acclimated. Still holding our own: went up to the top of Jebel Hafeet yesterday, and saw several Indian men wearing fur-lined aviator hats. Too funny.

Back to the slopes:





It's like a Euro-hill: two sides have mall views, the architecture of which has a ski lodge/Swiss Miss vibe. There are two main ski/snowboarding runs (complete with rail), and chair/rope lifts. Wendy discovered the "challenging run," which she describes as "fun, not Black Diamond, but worthwhile." She skied like an old--erm--veteran pro, and looked cute doing it. Riley stayed on the main slope, and though it took him a run or two to get into the groove, it all came back to him from last year: like falling off a bike.

The slopes and snowpark are separate areas, and therefore separate costs. Snowsuits and equipment are included, but gloves and hats are not, so we got helmets for the kids, and Wendy and Jon went toque-less. The whole thing: 2 hours worth, set us back a coupla hundred cdn. I dunno. Probably not worth it, but it was fun while it lasted. Here's Chrispy on the luge: