Established in 1969 on land that was originally part of Syria (and you never know, it may one day be again), Israel’s only snow skiing area, Mount Hermon, opened in 1969 on the famous Golan Heights, around two hours’ drive north of Tel Aviv.
Originally skiers used mules to get up the slopes, but the first ski lift was installed in 1971 and then the centre expanded dramatically from 1981 to 2000 when a more relaxed regime was allowed to manage the region.
It is now located 200m from the Syrian border, with reported armed personnel and minefields in the vicinity (the world’s highest UN peace patrol base is located in the region) and reputedly occasional incoming fire in the area.
Mount Hermon has a dozen chair and drag lifts, 440m of skiable vertical between 1,600m and 2,040m above sea level, and at its most optimistic measurement, around 45km of ski runs. There are 13 marked trails, a little over half of them graded red/intermediate, but there are two black runs for more advanced skiers and boarders plus a selection of easy and nursery slopes. An adult day pass costs 250 shekels – or about £55 – so doesn’t come cheap.
Snow cover can be problematic, since the turn of the century, but when cover is good, typically in blocks of five to 10 days at a time and usually between January and March, the centre is very popular and the slopes can get very crowded. Climate change has been blamed for a decrease in reliable snow cover in winter with 1999 the first winter when the centre was unable to open for snow sports at all due to a lack of snow.
But Mt Hermon’s managers have invested in all-weather attractions including the only Alpine Coaster downhill roller coaster in the region, some 950m long and allowing users’ sleds to reach a speed of up to 45kph.
However, when it does snow it can REALLY snow too. In January 2015 more than 1.7m (nearly 6ft) of snow fell in just a few days, leaving teams of workers with a big job clearing access roads and digging out lifts and buildings to make the centre accessible, but even big snowfalls can thaw away quite quickly when there’s a change in the weather.
