UAE snowboarder Amenah Al Muhairi sets sights on 2030 Winter Olympics

At just 18, Amenah Al Muhairi has already become one of the UAE’s most promising winter sports athletes.

The Emirati freestyle snowboarder has represented the country at two Junior World Championships, competed at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in South Korea and took part in the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin.

Now, she is training with one clear ambition: to qualify for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

From Ski Dubai to international competition

Amenah’s relationship with winter sports began long before she started competing professionally.

Her mother, Maya Al Muhairi, grew up skiing in Europe and wanted to pass that experience on to her children. Living in Dubai meant the family had to be creative, so they began with lessons at Ski Dubai before gradually moving on to regular trips to the mountains.

The family later travelled to places including Austria and Bosnia, where Amenah and her older brother first tried snowboarding.

What began partly as sibling rivalry quickly became something much more serious.

At just seven years old, Amenah discovered that snowboarding was the sport she truly loved.

A natural athlete from an early age

Amenah’s instructors quickly noticed her ability.

Her mother initially thought they were simply encouraging the family to book more lessons, but the coaches insisted that her daughter had a natural feel for movement and balance.

That instinct proved correct.

Amenah had always been highly active, taking part in basketball, football and swimming as well as winter sports.

Her competitive personality also helped.

At first, snowboarding was about trying to beat her brother. Eventually, the rivalry evolved into a genuine passion for the sport itself.

Making history for the UAE

Amenah has already achieved several firsts.

She became the first Emirati snowboarder to compete at two Junior World Championships and also represented the UAE at the Youth Olympic Games in 2024.

For an athlete from a country more closely associated with desert landscapes and summer temperatures, her international appearances regularly attract attention.

Amenah says she enjoys telling other competitors that she comes from the UAE because of the reaction it creates.

For her, representing the Emirates is an important part of her identity as an athlete.

Her mother remains her biggest supporter

Amenah describes her mother as her number one fan and supporter.

That relationship has been central to her career.

Amenah has broken 14 bones over the years, although only four of those injuries happened while snowboarding.

After repeated hospital visits, her father understandably questioned whether she should continue with the sport.

Maya had a very different reaction.

Rather than encouraging her daughter to become more cautious, she continued pushing her to challenge herself and reach a higher level.

That fearless approach has shaped Amenah’s mentality both on and off the slopes.

Competing against herself

One of the most important lessons Amenah learned from her mother was to stop measuring herself only against other athletes.

When she struggled with being the only girl in some competitions, Maya encouraged her to focus on improving her own performance.

The idea was simple: the most important competitor is yourself.

Amenah has carried that philosophy into her training.

Rather than focusing on one particular sporting idol, she says she prefers to imagine the athlete she herself could become in the future.

Inspiring more Emirati girls

When Amenah started competing, she was often the only local female athlete on the slopes.

That is beginning to change.

She says more girls are now taking up snowboarding, and some have approached her to explain that seeing an Emirati woman compete made them believe they could do the same.

For Amenah, that may be one of the most rewarding parts of her journey so far.

Her success is not only about individual results. It is also helping make winter sports feel more accessible to young women in the UAE.

Balancing university and elite sport

Alongside her training, Amenah is studying for a BSc Honours in Sport and Exercise Science at Middlesex University Dubai.

That means balancing university life with a demanding competition and training schedule.

Her immediate sporting focus is now the next Olympic qualification cycle.

Amenah plans to increase the number of competitions she enters over the coming years in order to collect the ranking points required to put herself in contention for 2030.

The road to 2030 starts in Dubai

For now, much of that preparation continues at Ski Dubai, where Amenah is already a familiar face among staff and coaches.

The contrast is striking: outside, Dubai temperatures can reach around 45°C, while inside she trains in sub-zero conditions for a sport traditionally associated with alpine nations.

But that contrast is also part of what makes her story distinctive.

Amenah Al Muhairi is not trying to follow a conventional path.

She is building a winter sports career from the UAE, representing a country few people naturally associate with snowboarding, and aiming for the biggest stage of all.

If everything goes to plan, that journey could lead her to the 2030 Winter Olympics.