Insane look at world’s first ‘vertical ski village’ in Saudi Arabia

A stark, mountainous moonscape in the middle of the desert is the site of the Saudi Prince’s next unthinkable $14 trillion project.

It’s a stark, mountainous moonscape deep in the Saudi Arabian desert. But it is about to become the world’s most exotic ski resort.

All it takes to achieve this is money. Lots of it.

The enormous Trojena mountain retreat sits 2500m high on Jebel al Lawz, a mountain in northwest Saudi Arabia.

It’s being touted as the world’s first “vertical ski village”.

At its heart is 30km of artificial ski slopes winding above towering hotels, villas and shopping malls. And its artificial snow machines will be fed by an artificial lake containing 57 billion litres of water.

A new Royal Palace is one of the few components of the NEOM megaproject to have been completed. Picture: Maxar

The Trojena ski city is just one of six megaprojects that form Saudi Arabia’s exceedingly ambitious NOEM future city.This is the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, also known as MBS.

If completed, his bold vision would embed his initials alongside history’s legendary builder kings, from Darius the Great and King Solomon to Emperor Hadrian and Pharaoh Seneferu.

But his $14 trillion dream is in trouble.

Discover life at new heights—at the Ski Village. Experience the joy of waking up above the clouds, surrounded by endless experiences at every level. This is mountain living, elevated in every sense. Welcome to a lifestyle where the sky is truly the limit. pic.twitter.com/nxA11ZIQTz

— TROJENA (@NEOMTROJENA) March 5, 2025

Critics claim as many as 21,000 workers have been killed since work began in 2017. And some $80 billion has already been sunk into the foundations of megastructures including the 170km long, 500m tall mirrored “long-scraper” The Line. NEOM is believed to have depleted its cash reserves to about $24 billion.

That may be why its longstanding Chief Executive Officer unexpectedly quit his role last year amid accusations of cost blowout cover-ups and cooked books. The Crown Prince has taken seven months to settle on a replacement.

Mountain getaway. A concept image of holiday homes scattered among the rocky outcrops of Saudi Arabia’s Jebel al Lawz mountains. Picture: NEOM

Head among the clouds

The Crown Prince envisions a luxurious, ultra-modern, green-tech future built on the final decades of revenue from his nation’s vast oil reserves. His idea is to entice big tech investors to set up shop in a dazzling showcase of their wares.

And sky-high ski slopes are supposed to be a significant early selling point.

Megastructures, mega ambitions. A promotional slide for Saudi Arabia’s Trojena ski resort. Picture: NEOM

Skiing above the clouds, in a desert, on artificial ski slopes on artificial now. It’s all part of the luxury lifestyle intended to attract the world’s rich and famous to move to Saudi Arabia. Picture: NEOM

“It’s integral because it exhibits an overall spectrum of what NEOM can offer – from the coastal beach developments and our car-free city, The Line, all the way to our automated port and the airport,” Trojena Executive Director Philip Gullett says in a website statement. From up there you can look over to the Gulf of Aqaba too. And over to Egypt as well as the whole NEOM region,”

But time is running out.

Where we’re at: The Trojena ski resort works as captured in a recent satellite photograph. Picture: Planet

Saudi Arabia has signed up to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. That puts a hard construction deadline of just four years for the resort’s completion.

Gullett told the Saudi Giga Projects Summit last week that work on his portion of the NEOM mega project was “a military operation”. To nobody’s surprise, he added the remote mountain location has posed a considerable challenge.

Being in the middle of a desert also presents practical problems.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty

“Most of the snow in Trojena will be machine-made snow,” Trojena’s senior development manager admits on Instagram.

“Over the past five winters, we’ve rigorously tested snow-making technologies and meticulously designed our future slopes to deliver unforgettable adventures with minimal environmental impact.”

The “Vertical Ski Village”, a tower soaring high among Saudi Arabia’s arid mountains, is the central component of the Trojena mountain resort. Picture: NEOM

The Bow, JW Marriot in Tojena. Picture: Supplied

Money matters

NEOM’s interim CEO, Aiman Al-Mudaifer, has now been formally embedded in the role. He’s been tasked with fast-tracking the completion of several key project components.

“Over the past months, Al-Mudaifer has remained focused on maintaining operational continuity, improving efficiencies and accelerating progress across NEOM’s strategic projects and regions,” a NEOM press statement reads.

But analysts suspect this will likely involve dramatic cutbacks.

Amid labour and supply shortages, this will enable efforts to be focused on completing the first 2.5km segment of the 170km long The Line megastructure. This portion of the automated residential city will include a vast new stadium. And that must be finished by 2034 to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Lake of dreams. An “infinity pool” effect is intended to be created by the artificial lake that will supply the mountain resort with its artificial snow. Picture: NEOM

Birds’ eye view. The full extent of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megaproject – including the 170km long skycrapercity, The Line, will be visible from the Trojena mountain resort. Picture: NEOM

Mudaifer, a building engineer, previously headed Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund’s real estate division. He has initiated an in-depth review of the NEOM project’s goals, progress, and where new priorities should be placed.

Predictions that the scheme will take another 50 years to complete have been criticised as overly optimistic. And its $14 trillion price tag – a figure NEOM executives fiercely dispute – is 25 greater than Saudi Arabia’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned global oil prices must consistently remain above $US100 per barrel for the kingdom to afford its exploding debt. It currently stands at just above $US60.

However, the Crown Prince is determined to drum up global excitement for his dream.

US President Donald Trump viewed models of the kingdom’s development plans on his recent visit to the Gulf region. US media reports Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has since signed several multi-billion dollar deals with US investors.

Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @jamieseidel.bsky.social