Club Med’s indoor ski resort gets the longest indoor slope in the world

A recently opened Club Med destination in China with an indoor snow slope was so successful in its first six months of operation that the company has announced plans to build a second slope, which will be the new longest indoor slope in the world.

Club Med’s Urban Oasis Taicang resort, an hour from downtown Shanghai, opened in late 2023 and has already attracted more than 300,000 visitors. Now the local city government has announced it will fund “Phase 2” of the development with 5 billion yuan ($690 million), which will include a 590-meter-long indoor snow slope.

Although plans to build indoor snow slopes up to 1.3 km long have been announced over the years, the longest (around 620 meters each) have continued to be located in Amnéville in France and at the Alpincenter Bottrop in Germany for two decades.

The ski area will have three slopes: a freestyle slope, an intermediate slope and a 690-meter-long slope for advanced skiers. The two connected indoor snow centers offer a total of 1,700 meters (1.1 miles) of slopes.

The new Chinese slope will also feature the world’s tallest indoor vertical jump at 120 m (the first of more than 100 metres) and, with 190,000 square metres of indoor floor space, will offer more than twice the indoor snow surface as its nearest competitor to the north in Harbin, China.

The iconic French brand Club Med was bought by the giant Chinese conglomerate Fosun in 2013, which has since begun modernising its global resort portfolio. The resort currently comprises 25 outdoor ski resorts worldwide, most of them in France, but also in Canada and Japan, as well as three new outdoor ski resorts in China – in Yabuli, Beidahu and Changbaishan. Fosun will operate the expanded resort.

“As the Fosun Tourism Group’s central snow-related upscale urban one-stop resort, Taicang Alps Resort has rapidly become a popular destination for families and young people in the Yangtze River Delta region since its opening in November 2023. The signing of the Phase II project not only demonstrates our leadership in the ice and snow industry, but also represents an important milestone in Fosun Tourism Group’s light asset operation strategy,” said Xu Xiaoliang, Co-CEO of Fosun International, adding, “In the future, Fosun Tourism Group will continue to leverage its global resources and industry-specific operating capabilities in the ice and snow industry to provide even more exciting and diverse ice and snow holiday experiences.”

In addition to the indoor snow slopes, the complex will also include slope hotels, a water park, hot springs, an aquarium and themed restaurants, and will offer many activities such as bungee jumping and interactive light shows.

“With the launch of Phase II, Taicang Alps Resort is moving closer to its goal of becoming the world’s leading and largest indoor ice and snow holiday and entertainment destination. The goal is to establish a globally recognized one-stop destination for winter sports tourism,” commented a spokesperson for the project.