Sweaty Shanghai is opening its first indoor ski slope.

A Shanghai-based developer said Tuesday it will spend $36 million to build an indoor ski slope, including enough snowmaking equipment to conjure an artificial blizzard.

When completed, the 130-foot-high structure will resemble an oversized playground slide enclosed by a roof. The interior will be big enough to hold a chairlift and accommodate 2,000 skiers a day.

A spokeswoman for the builder, Shanghai Dashun Hokkaido Skiing Co., said the slope's biggest selling point is its year-round availability, no matter the weather. Ski enthusiasts can step in from a 100-degree Shanghai summer day to practice their slalom.

``Shanghai's natural environment is not suitable for skiing, but the uniqueness of the experience will attract Shanghainese and domestic tourists,'' said the spokeswoman, who gave her name as Mrs. Tao.

Mrs. Tao said the company was a joint venture between Chinese and Japanese investors. She wouldn't elaborate.

Construction on the slope is to be completed in July. Mrs. Tao said it will be the second-largest indoor ski slope in the world. The largest is just outside Tokyo, another heavily populated Asian city far from natural ski mountains.

It will be China's second indoor slope. A smaller one was built three years ago in Shenzhen, even farther south. That one was aimed at tourists from neighboring Hong Kong.

China's first outdoor ski resort opened just six years ago, according to the Beijing Saibei Skiing Club, one of China's largest ski clubs. There are now 13 full-service ski resorts, most located in the country's frigid northeast, the club said.

Mrs. Tao said Shanghai's rising living standards mean local residents can afford the $18 entrance fee and an undecided hourly charge. But she admitted it may take some coaxing to lure local residents at first, given their unfamiliarity with snow.

The company also hopes to generate interest elsewhere in China by offering package tours that include hotel and airfare, Mrs. Tao said.

The slope will rent skis, poles, boots, even parkas and ski pants. The company also plans to offer ski lessons -- if it can find enough experienced skiers to serve as instructors.

Until Shanghai residents catch the ski bug, Mrs. Tao said her company hopes to draw some of Shanghai's 60,000 expatriate residents.

``They should find the slope more convenient than going home to the Alps or Rockies,'' she said.

[From Northern Light]

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