Fed up with waiting in endless queues for lifts, buying overpriced refreshments and skiing down overcrowded slopes? Or are you simply looking for a ski destination with a bit more on offer? Here is our guide to the world’s best ski destinations.
The Cedars of Lebanon
Middle Eastern moguls on the Mountains of Christ’s Transfiguration
- Best for:
- Nearest airport:
- When to go:
- Top tip:
swapping steak hache frites for lamb kofta and moutabal
Beirut
mid-January to mid-April
snow ski in the morning, waterski in the afternoon
Forget pines. The Lebanese mountains are covered in cedars- the country’s national emblem and also the name of its top ski resorts. There are six resorts in all, but the Cedars and Faraya Mzaar are head-and-shoulders above the rest. The Cedars is currently investing in four new lifts, one of which will open up the highest summit (2,870m) in 2006 and offer views stretching all the way to Cyprus. Faraya is bigger still with 80km of pistes, renowned off-piste and epic views of Mount Sion on the Israel/Syria border, making it a truly spectacular destination.
