Trojena Ski Resort: NEOM’s Mountain Destination, 2029 Asian Winter Games, and Skiing in the Desert

The idea sounds like a punchline: a ski resort in Saudi Arabia. But Trojena, NEOM’s mountain tourism destination in the Hejaz range of northwestern Saudi Arabia, is very much real and very much under construction. Situated at elevations between 1,500 and 2,600 meters above sea level, where winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing, Trojena challenges the assumption that the Arabian Peninsula is uniformly hot desert. More significantly, it has been selected to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games—a commitment that has transformed Trojena from a speculative tourism concept into a project with an immovable deadline and international scrutiny. This is the story of one of the most unconventional sports and tourism developments anywhere in the world.

The Geography: Mountains in the Desert

The Hejaz Mountains, running parallel to the Red Sea coast through western Saudi Arabia, reach elevations that most people do not associate with the Arabian Peninsula. In the NEOM zone, the terrain rises from sea level to peaks exceeding 2,500 meters within a relatively short distance, creating dramatic temperature and climate gradients. While the coastal areas bake in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius for much of the year, the mountain peaks experience winter temperatures that regularly drop below freezing, with occasional snowfall.

This geographic reality is the foundation of Trojena’s proposition. The site, located in the mountains approximately 50 kilometers inland from the Gulf of Aqaba coast, experiences a climate that is genuinely distinct from the stereotypical image of Saudi Arabia. Winter temperatures range from minus 2 to 10 degrees Celsius, with nighttime lows frequently below freezing between December and March. Annual rainfall, while modest by global standards, is sufficient to support a different ecosystem than the surrounding desert—scattered woodland, mountain shrubs, and seasonal greenery that transform the landscape during the cooler months.

The elevation and climate data support the plausibility of winter sports activities, though with important caveats. Natural snowfall is insufficient for reliable skiing—the precipitation is too irregular and the quantities too small to support consistent snow cover on ski slopes. The resort’s skiing proposition therefore depends on artificial snowmaking, which requires significant water and energy inputs but has been proven effective at ski resorts worldwide, including many at similar or lower elevations in the Alps, Pyrenees, and other mountain ranges.

The Master Plan: Beyond Skiing

Trojena’s master plan positions the destination as a year-round mountain resort rather than a seasonal ski facility. The ski slopes and winter sports venues are the headline attractions, but the broader development encompasses hospitality, residential, commercial, recreational, and wellness components designed to attract visitors across all seasons.

The master plan divides Trojena into six development clusters, each positioned within the mountain landscape to take advantage of specific terrain features and microclimates. The Vault, a dramatic fold in the mountain terrain, houses the luxury hospitality and wellness components. The village provides the commercial and social heart of the destination, with retail, dining, and entertainment organized around a pedestrian-friendly alpine village concept. The slopes encompass the ski and snow sports facilities. The residential areas offer properties ranging from mountain chalets to apartments, targeting both vacation home buyers and permanent residents.

An artificial freshwater lake is planned as a centerpiece feature, providing a focal point for the development and a water-based recreation amenity during warmer months. The lake, created by damming a natural valley, will serve aesthetic, recreational, and practical purposes—including as a water reservoir for snowmaking operations and landscape irrigation.

The hospitality program includes properties from luxury hotel brands that specialize in mountain and resort destinations. The design aesthetic draws on both Arabian architectural traditions and the alpine lodge vocabulary, creating a visual identity that acknowledges the cultural context while meeting the functional requirements of a mountain resort. The properties are designed for year-round operation, with winter sports packages during the cold months and hiking, mountain biking, adventure sports, and wellness programming during the warmer seasons.

The 2029 Asian Winter Games: A Hard Deadline

The selection of Trojena as the host of the 2029 Asian Winter Games by the Olympic Council of Asia was a diplomatic and promotional coup for Saudi Arabia, but it also created a non-negotiable deadline that has transformed the project’s timeline from aspirational to imperative.

The Asian Winter Games, while not carrying the profile of the Olympic Winter Games, is a significant multi-sport event featuring competitions in skiing, skating, ice hockey, biathlon, and other winter sports. Previous hosts include Sapporo, Harbin, and Almaty—established winter sports cities with existing infrastructure. Trojena must build everything from scratch.

The competition venues required for the Games include Alpine ski courses, cross-country ski trails, ski jumping facilities, a speed skating oval, ice hockey rinks, and a biathlon course. Each venue must meet the technical standards specified by the relevant international sports federations. The construction of these venues in a location with no existing winter sports infrastructure represents a massive undertaking.

Support infrastructure for the Games extends well beyond the competition venues. An athletes’ village housing thousands of competitors and officials must be constructed and serviced. Media facilities for international broadcasting, including broadcast compounds, commentary positions, and communications infrastructure, must meet the standards of a major international sporting event. Transportation systems must move athletes, officials, media, and spectators efficiently between venues and accommodation. Medical facilities, security operations, and hospitality services all add to the infrastructure requirements.

The timeline pressure created by the 2029 Games deadline is intense. Major international sporting events typically require six to eight years of preparation from the host selection to the opening ceremony. Trojena’s selection in 2022 provided approximately seven years, but the site’s starting point—undeveloped mountain terrain with no existing infrastructure—means that the preparation timeline is compressed relative to hosts that could build on existing facilities.

Construction progress toward the Games deadline is the most scrutinized aspect of the Trojena project. International sports bodies, media, and critics are monitoring the pace of development closely, aware that the consequences of failure to deliver adequate facilities would be embarrassing for both Saudi Arabia and the Olympic Council of Asia.

Engineering the Snow: Artificial Snowmaking at Scale

The snowmaking system at Trojena is one of the project’s most technically challenging and environmentally significant components. Creating and maintaining skiable snow conditions in a climate that provides insufficient natural snowfall requires a snowmaking infrastructure of considerable scale and sophistication.

Modern snowmaking technology, refined over decades at ski resorts worldwide, combines water and compressed air to produce snow that, while differing from natural snow in crystal structure, provides adequate skiing surfaces when properly managed. The technology is well-proven, but its application at Trojena involves specific challenges related to water availability, energy requirements, and ambient conditions.

Water supply for snowmaking is a critical constraint. Each hectare of ski slope requires approximately 3,000 to 5,000 cubic meters of water per season to maintain adequate snow cover. With multiple ski runs planned, the total water demand is measured in hundreds of thousands of cubic meters per season. In one of the world’s most water-scarce regions, sourcing this water requires either desalination, long-distance water transport, or a combination of both, along with comprehensive water recycling systems.

Energy requirements for snowmaking are substantial. The compressors, pumps, and snow guns that comprise a snowmaking system consume significant electrical power, particularly when operating in ambient temperatures that, while below freezing at night, may approach or exceed the optimal range for snowmaking during daytime hours. The energy strategy must balance the demand of snowmaking with the renewable energy commitments of the broader NEOM project.

Snow management extends beyond initial production. Grooming machines must maintain slope conditions, shaping and compacting the snow to create surfaces suitable for different skiing ability levels and competition requirements. Snow storage and conservation techniques, including reflective covers and strategic shading, can extend the useful life of produced snow. The entire snow management operation requires specialized expertise and equipment that must be imported to a location with no tradition of winter sports operations.

The window for effective snowmaking at Trojena is limited by the temperature regime. While nighttime temperatures during winter months regularly drop below the threshold needed for effective snowmaking, daytime temperatures may be marginal. This constrains snowmaking operations primarily to nighttime hours, reducing the production capacity and requiring careful scheduling and resource management.

Construction Progress: Building in the Mountains

Construction at Trojena presents challenges distinct from those faced by other NEOM sub-projects. Mountain construction involves steep terrain, limited access roads, extreme temperature variations between day and night, high winds, and the logistical complexity of delivering materials and equipment to remote, elevated sites.

Road construction has been one of the most significant early achievements, with access roads carved through the mountain terrain to connect the various development clusters and provide the logistical corridors needed for construction. The road network, which must also serve as the primary access route for visitors once the resort opens, involves significant cut-and-fill earthworks, retaining walls, bridges, and tunnels that are themselves major engineering works.

The artificial lake is a major construction element, requiring dam construction, waterproofing, water supply systems, and environmental management. The creation of a large freshwater body in a mountain desert environment involves complex hydrology, as the natural water balance of the site—limited rainfall and high evaporation—must be supplemented by imported water to maintain lake levels.

Building construction across the various development clusters is at different stages, with the competition venues for the Asian Winter Games receiving priority. The ski runs are being graded and shaped, with the terrain modifications needed to create courses that meet international competition standards. Venue buildings—timing huts, start houses, finish areas, and spectator facilities—are in various stages of construction.

The athletes’ village and associated accommodation are advancing, driven by the imperative of the Games deadline. These structures must be completed, furnished, and operationally tested well before the opening ceremony to allow for the logistics of athlete check-in, accreditation, and pre-competition preparation.

Infrastructure systems—power, water, sewerage, telecommunications, and snowmaking—are being installed across the site. The mountainous terrain complicates infrastructure routing, with pipelines and cables requiring protected routes through rocky terrain and across steep gradients. The power supply, which must accommodate the substantial demand of snowmaking operations and resort facilities in a location distant from existing grid infrastructure, is being addressed through a combination of grid connection, on-site generation, and renewable energy systems.

Environmental Concerns and Sustainability

Trojena’s environmental impact is a subject of legitimate concern and ongoing debate. Building a ski resort in a mountain desert ecosystem involves significant environmental modification, and the project’s sustainability credentials depend on how these impacts are managed.

The mountain ecosystem of the Hejaz range, while not as biodiverse as tropical forests, supports species and habitats that are adapted to the specific conditions of the Arabian mountains. Construction activity—road building, earthworks, dam construction, and building development—inevitably disturbs these habitats. The extent of the disturbance and the effectiveness of mitigation measures will determine the long-term ecological impact.

The water footprint of a ski resort in the desert is a fundamental environmental concern. Snowmaking, landscape irrigation, and the water demands of a hospitality destination all draw on water resources that are naturally scarce. While recycling, desalination, and efficient use can mitigate the impact, the creation of a water-intensive tourism operation in a water-stressed environment raises legitimate questions about resource allocation priorities.

Carbon emissions associated with Trojena’s operations—primarily from energy for snowmaking, transportation of visitors to a remote mountain location, and the ongoing energy demands of resort operations—represent another environmental consideration. The commitment to renewable energy addresses direct operational emissions, but the lifecycle carbon footprint of the project, including embodied carbon in construction materials and the transportation emissions of visitors, is more difficult to address.

Climate change adds a layer of uncertainty to Trojena’s long-term viability. Mountain environments worldwide are experiencing warming temperatures that are pushing the reliable snowline higher. While Trojena’s reliance on artificial snowmaking reduces its dependence on natural snow, rising temperatures could narrow the window for effective snowmaking and increase the energy and water costs of maintaining snow conditions.

NEOM’s environmental monitoring program extends to Trojena, with baseline ecological surveys conducted before construction and ongoing monitoring of habitat condition, water quality, air quality, and species populations. The data from these monitoring programs will provide an evidence base for assessing the project’s environmental impact, though the long-term effects of such significant landscape modification will only become fully apparent over decades.

The Tourism Proposition: Who Will Come?

Trojena’s target market encompasses several distinct visitor segments, each with different motivations and spending patterns.

Domestic Saudi tourists represent the most significant near-term market. Saudi Arabia’s young population, with growing disposable income and increasingly diverse leisure interests, provides a large potential audience for a mountain resort experience that is unique within the kingdom. The novelty factor of skiing in Saudi Arabia—the social media-worthy incongruity of snow in the desert—is a powerful demand driver, particularly among younger demographics.

Regional tourists from Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the broader Middle East represent a secondary market. These visitors, many of whom currently travel to European or Asian ski resorts for winter sports, could potentially be attracted by a closer-to-home alternative, though they would need to be convinced that Trojena’s snow conditions and resort experience compete with established destinations.

International winter sports tourists from Europe, Asia, and North America represent a longer-term aspiration. This market is highly competitive, with established destinations in the Alps, Rockies, Scandinavia, Japan, and elsewhere offering proven snow conditions, extensive ski terrain, and decades of accumulated resort culture. Trojena’s appeal to this market is more likely to rest on the novelty and cultural experience rather than the quality of skiing per se.

The Asian Winter Games in 2029 will provide a critical exposure moment, introducing Trojena to an international audience of winter sports enthusiasts, media, and sports organizations. The impression created during the Games—quality of facilities, snow conditions, overall experience—will significantly influence Trojena’s international reputation and its ability to attract subsequent visitors.

Year-round programming is essential to the financial viability of a mountain resort in this climate. The winter sports season at Trojena is limited to approximately three to four months, making the resort dependent on alternative attractions during the remaining months. Hiking, mountain biking, adventure sports, wellness retreats, cultural events, and the unique appeal of escaping the lowland heat during summer all contribute to the year-round proposition.

Financial Considerations

The investment required for Trojena is substantial, encompassing not just the resort facilities themselves but the infrastructure needed to create a functioning destination in a remote mountain location. Road construction, water supply, power systems, telecommunications, and the snowmaking infrastructure all represent significant capital expenditures before the first hotel room is sold.

The revenue model must account for the seasonality of winter sports, the premium pricing required to recoup the investment, and the competitive dynamics of the luxury resort market. Average daily rates at Trojena’s hotels are expected to be in the premium category, reflecting both the quality of the product and the substantial cost of delivery.

The Asian Winter Games represent a significant additional investment, with the competition venues, athletes’ village, and event infrastructure requiring funding that goes beyond what would be needed for a purely commercial resort. However, the Games also provide invaluable marketing exposure and the deadline discipline that keeps the project on track.

The long-term financial sustainability of Trojena depends on the destination’s ability to generate year-round visitation at rates and occupancy levels that cover operating costs and provide a return on investment. This is a demanding financial bar for a resort in a location that is accessible only by road or helicopter, in a country that is still building its tourism infrastructure and international brand.

Conclusion

Trojena is perhaps the most audacious of all NEOM’s sub-projects—not because it is the largest or most expensive, but because it challenges the most fundamental assumptions about what is possible in the Arabian Peninsula. A ski resort in Saudi Arabia confronts both the physical reality of creating winter sports conditions in a desert environment and the perceptual challenge of convincing the world that the experience is worth seeking out.

The 2029 Asian Winter Games provide both an opportunity and a test. If Trojena delivers a successful Games—good snow conditions, functional facilities, positive athlete and spectator experiences—it will validate the concept and generate the international recognition needed to build a sustainable tourism destination. If it struggles—poor snow conditions, incomplete facilities, logistical problems—the reputational damage will extend beyond Trojena to NEOM and Saudi Arabia’s broader tourism ambitions.

The next three years will be decisive. The construction sprint to prepare for 2029, the operational learning curve as the first facilities open, and the market response to the initial guest experiences will together determine whether Trojena becomes a genuine addition to the world’s roster of mountain resort destinations or remains an expensive experiment in the limits of human ambition. Either outcome will be fascinating to observe.