As many countries around the world face severe heat, images of the Afriski ski resort in Lesotho, Africa in July have drawn attention as a contrasting picture to the current global situation. This African kingdom is located in the middle of the territory of the Republic of South Africa. Lesotho has a very special geographical feature. This is the first country on Earth where every inch of its territory is 1,000m above sea level.
That gives Lesotho its southern hemisphere winter snowfall. White winters are rare in Africa, and snow and ski resorts are rarer still. At 3,000 metres, Afriski in Lesotho's Maluti Mountains is Africa's only operating ski resort south of the equator.
“I have never seen snow in my life. So this is an amazing experience,” said Kafi Mojapelo, a tourist who traveled all the way from South Africa for his first ski holiday.
Bafana Nadida, a tourist from Soweto township in Johannesburg (South Africa), was also excited to put on snowshoes for the first time. He had planned a day of skiing lessons, taking photos and playing in the snow.
At Afiski, skiers line up to rent the right equipment. Some visitors are advised by Hope Ramokotjo, a Lesotho native who has been a ski instructor for 12 years. Ramokotjo’s broad smile and deep voice put beginners at ease.
Afriski’s Kapoko Snow Park is the continent’s only freestyle snowboard park. Competitors lined up last month for the annual Winter Whip Slopestyle ski and snowboard competition. Sekholo Ramonotsi, a 13-year-old from Butha-Buthe, Lesotho, who regularly trains at Afriski, won the junior ski and snowboard categories.
“I really want to ski in Europe,” Ramonotsi said of his dream.
London-born Meka Lebohang Ejindu said he has been teaching skiing and snowboarding in Austria for more than a decade and this is his first season in the southern hemisphere. Ejindu is originally from Lesotho. “It’s heartwarming to have a competition like this in southern Africa,” he said.
Afriski may not be able to compete with the vast Alpine resorts of Europe, but a love of winter sports is taking off here in Africa.
At Afriski’s Sky Restaurant and Gondola Cafe, happy hour begins at 10am, with skiers decked out in winter gear partying with music and beer. Some claim the bar is the highest in Africa, although the Maluti Range is challenged by the Sani Lodge range, 130km east on the Lesotho-South Africa border. But what no one can dispute is that this crowd has come skiing in Africa, a continent usually known for heat and desert.
