Skiing in Lebanon
Encyclopedia
Skiing in Lebanon has been a popular sport since an engineering student returning from studying in Switzerland brought back with him the sport of skiing to Lebanon
in the early twentieth century.
s, located on the Mount Lebanon
range that faces the Mediterranean and offers terrific downhill ski slopes. The six resorts have a combined 46 ski lift
s with piste
s totaling 30km in length. Lebanon's ski resorts are accessible on a day trip with the nearest ski resorts less than an hour's drive from the capital, Beirut
. The sociable Lebanese ensure that the après-ski scene is as memorable as the skiing. A seventh ski field, a steep and rugged one that is suitable for the most intrepid skiers only, is at Mount Hermon
, but due to the political situation with Israel and Syria, the field has never been developed into a resort. In 2005, plans for a US$1 billion skiing resort, Sannine Zenith
, were revealed.
in 1913 when Ramez Ghazzoui, a Lebanese engineer, returned from his studies in Switzerland
and introduced his friends to the sport in the mountains near Aley
in Mount Lebanon
. In 1934, Le Club Libanais, the first ski club in Lebanon, was founded by Mauritius Tabet, Mounir Itani, and sisters Andrée Khasho and Aimée Kettaneh. The following year, the French Army established the first ski school at Le Grand Cèdre hotel at the Cedars of God
in northern Lebanon. In 1937, the school moved to a high mountain barracks, and would later become known as the Military Ski School.
By the 1940s, Lebanon had established competitions, clubs, and ski schools throughout the country, and began competing at an international level. James Riddell
, the British champion skier who was often called the Father of Modern Ski Journalism, administered in 1942 a ski and mountaineering school for the Australian 9th Army at the Cedars of God
. In 1947, Lebanon competed for the first time at the international championship in Chamonix
, France
, with Michel Samen carrying the Lebanese flag. One year later, Lebanon competed in the Winter Olympic Games
for the first time at the 1948 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
. Four athletes competed – Mounir Itani, Jean Samen, Abdelwahab El Rifai and Ibrahim Geagea.
In 1955, the resort in Mzaar on Mount Sannine
above the village of Faraya
was begun.
1961 saw the official establishment of the Lebanese Ski Federation under President Dr. Emile Riachi
.
In 1967 and 1972 the federation cooperated with the Lebanese Army to host the World Championship of Military Ski.
From 1962 until the eruption of the civil war in 1975, a World Cup Competition named “Semaine Internationale du Ski aux Cedres” took place yearly in The Cedars and attracted the world’s most prestigious champions
Lebanese skiing history was at its peak in 1967 when the 26th annual International Ski Federation (ISF) conference was held in Beirut.
At the time of its construction in 1974, Faqra Club, which was built at the foot of Mount Sannine
with the help of Swiss architects, was one of the premier private skiing resorts in the world. With altitudes ranging between 1700 and 2000 meters, the resort offered a dozen pistes of varying levels that permitted skiers to enjoy the sport day and night. On clear days, one could see the Mediterranean and the capital, Beirut, from the summits.
In 1993, the Lebanese-American, Richard Elias initiated the International Peace Ski, in which he led a group of thirteen professional skiers from ten different countries to ski in Lebanon.
Lebanese skiers have participated in the Winter Olympic Games since 1948 and in World Championships: Innsbruck (1964), Greece (1967), Sapporo (1972), Innsbruck (1976), Grenoble (1969), Lake Placid (1980), Calgary (1988) and Albertville (1992).
, typically runs from mid-December to April, depending on the length and depth of snowfall. In spring, it is sometimes possible to snow ski in the morning and drive to the coast in the afternoon to water ski.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in the early twentieth century.
Overview
Lebanon, a mountainous country with summits reaching heights of over 10,000 feet, is often referred to as the "Switzerland of the East". Lebanon is home to six well-equipped, well-maintained ski resortSki resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s, located on the Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
range that faces the Mediterranean and offers terrific downhill ski slopes. The six resorts have a combined 46 ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
s with piste
Piste
A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
s totaling 30km in length. Lebanon's ski resorts are accessible on a day trip with the nearest ski resorts less than an hour's drive from the capital, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. The sociable Lebanese ensure that the après-ski scene is as memorable as the skiing. A seventh ski field, a steep and rugged one that is suitable for the most intrepid skiers only, is at Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
, but due to the political situation with Israel and Syria, the field has never been developed into a resort. In 2005, plans for a US$1 billion skiing resort, Sannine Zenith
Sannine Zenith Lebanon
The Sannine Zenith Lebanon is a project that will cover a surface area of approximately 96 million square meters nearly 1 percent of Lebanon will be located in the area of Bidnayel and Sulugi, which begins east of Faraya and ends in the Bekaa...
, were revealed.
History
Skiing was introduced to LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in 1913 when Ramez Ghazzoui, a Lebanese engineer, returned from his studies in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and introduced his friends to the sport in the mountains near Aley
Aley
Aley is a picturesque town in Mount Lebanon. It is located 17 km uphill from Beirut, just south of the summer resort of Bhamdoun and north of the strategic town of Souk El Gharb.-Demographics:...
in Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
. In 1934, Le Club Libanais, the first ski club in Lebanon, was founded by Mauritius Tabet, Mounir Itani, and sisters Andrée Khasho and Aimée Kettaneh. The following year, the French Army established the first ski school at Le Grand Cèdre hotel at the Cedars of God
Cedars of God
The Cedars of God is one of the the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Cedars of Lebanon that thrived across Mount Lebanon in ancient times. Their timber was exploited by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians as well as the Phoenicians...
in northern Lebanon. In 1937, the school moved to a high mountain barracks, and would later become known as the Military Ski School.
By the 1940s, Lebanon had established competitions, clubs, and ski schools throughout the country, and began competing at an international level. James Riddell
James Riddell
W. James Riddell MBE was a British champion skier and author who was involved in the early days of skiing as a competitive sport and holiday industry...
, the British champion skier who was often called the Father of Modern Ski Journalism, administered in 1942 a ski and mountaineering school for the Australian 9th Army at the Cedars of God
Cedars of God
The Cedars of God is one of the the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Cedars of Lebanon that thrived across Mount Lebanon in ancient times. Their timber was exploited by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians as well as the Phoenicians...
. In 1947, Lebanon competed for the first time at the international championship in Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with Michel Samen carrying the Lebanese flag. One year later, Lebanon competed in the Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
for the first time at the 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Four athletes competed – Mounir Itani, Jean Samen, Abdelwahab El Rifai and Ibrahim Geagea.
In 1955, the resort in Mzaar on Mount Sannine
Mount Sannine
Mount Sannine is a mountain in the Mount Lebanon range. Its highest point is 2,628 m above sea level in Lebanon. Mount Sannine, which has a base of limestone, is the source of many mountain springs.- External links :*...
above the village of Faraya
Faraya Mzaar Kfardebian
Faraya is a Lebanese village located in Kisrwan, at an altitude of 1350 m above sea level. The village of Faraya is a populated village with residents that stay there in summer as well as in winter, in spite of the harsh weather in winter. Above Faraya are the summer/ski resort cities of Mzaar,...
was begun.
1961 saw the official establishment of the Lebanese Ski Federation under President Dr. Emile Riachi
Emile Riachi
- Biography :Riachi graduated from the "Faculté Francaise de Médecine" in Beirut in 1950 as MD and then moved to Chicago to specialize in Orthopaedic Surgery at Cook County Hospital with Professor Kelikian....
.
In 1967 and 1972 the federation cooperated with the Lebanese Army to host the World Championship of Military Ski.
From 1962 until the eruption of the civil war in 1975, a World Cup Competition named “Semaine Internationale du Ski aux Cedres” took place yearly in The Cedars and attracted the world’s most prestigious champions
Lebanese skiing history was at its peak in 1967 when the 26th annual International Ski Federation (ISF) conference was held in Beirut.
At the time of its construction in 1974, Faqra Club, which was built at the foot of Mount Sannine
Mount Sannine
Mount Sannine is a mountain in the Mount Lebanon range. Its highest point is 2,628 m above sea level in Lebanon. Mount Sannine, which has a base of limestone, is the source of many mountain springs.- External links :*...
with the help of Swiss architects, was one of the premier private skiing resorts in the world. With altitudes ranging between 1700 and 2000 meters, the resort offered a dozen pistes of varying levels that permitted skiers to enjoy the sport day and night. On clear days, one could see the Mediterranean and the capital, Beirut, from the summits.
In 1993, the Lebanese-American, Richard Elias initiated the International Peace Ski, in which he led a group of thirteen professional skiers from ten different countries to ski in Lebanon.
Lebanese skiers have participated in the Winter Olympic Games since 1948 and in World Championships: Innsbruck (1964), Greece (1967), Sapporo (1972), Innsbruck (1976), Grenoble (1969), Lake Placid (1980), Calgary (1988) and Albertville (1992).
Ski Resorts
- Cedars
- Faqra Club
- Laklouk
- MzaarFaraya Mzaar KfardebianFaraya is a Lebanese village located in Kisrwan, at an altitude of 1350 m above sea level. The village of Faraya is a populated village with residents that stay there in summer as well as in winter, in spite of the harsh weather in winter. Above Faraya are the summer/ski resort cities of Mzaar,...
- Qanat Bakish
- Sannine ZenithSannine Zenith LebanonThe Sannine Zenith Lebanon is a project that will cover a surface area of approximately 96 million square meters nearly 1 percent of Lebanon will be located in the area of Bidnayel and Sulugi, which begins east of Faraya and ends in the Bekaa...
(planned) - Zaarour
Season
The ski season, which is similar to the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, typically runs from mid-December to April, depending on the length and depth of snowfall. In spring, it is sometimes possible to snow ski in the morning and drive to the coast in the afternoon to water ski.