High Output metal halide 400W lamps from Venture Lighting are being used to light the world's third largest indoor ski slope Ski Dubai. Located at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, the recently opened Ski Dubai facility uses 6000 tonnes of snow, which is replaced constantly, and features 400m ski slope with runs of varying difficulty. The area under snow is the equivalent of three football pitches. The lamps are incorporated in specially modified canopy lighting from Whitecroft Lighting.The fittings had to be able to withstand freezing conditions while providing optimum light output with minimal glare, as well as being easy to maintain.
The snow is made by shooting water at high pressure into an atmosphere maintained at around freezing point. To cope with these conditions, Whitecroft incorporated a special unit into the standard Canopy Master, thus minimising temperature fluctuations within the luminaire.
Each fitting uses a Venture High Output 400W metal halide lamp, as well as an auxiliary 150W tungsten halogen lamp to provide an even illuminance of 350-400 lux across the slope area. Complete relay control has been designed into the system to meet the client's requirements.
Venture now offers more than 350 metal halide lamps ranging from 50W to 2,000W, plus 11 different wattages of energy efficient Uni-FormTM pulse start systems for industrial and commercial applications.
Potential problems with lamp replacement have been prevented by recessing the fittings into the roof. The fittings have been modified by the addition of a special back access hatch for re-lamping and maintenance. In this way the fittings can be maintained from above so that problems of access are minimised.
