Skiing in Lebanon

Lebanon, a mountainous country with summits reaching heights of over 3,000 metres (10,000 feet),Magnetti and Sigler. An introduction to the Near East is sometimes referred to as the "Switzerland of the East".Davis, Craig S. The Middle East For Dummies

Lebanon is home to sixEtheredge, Laura. Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, page 224 well-maintainedCarter, Dunston, and Humphreys. Syria and Lebanon, page 357 ski resorts on the Mount Lebanon range that faces the Mediterranean.Goldstein, Margaret J. Lebanon in Pictures, page 57{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Fears-of--alQaeda-forging.4185851.jp|publisher=the Scottsman|title=Fears of al-Qaeda forging links in Lebanon|date=2008-06-14|author=Abigail Fielding-Smith}} They have a combined 49 ski lifts with pistes totaling 300 km in length.Lebanese Ministry of Environment (2001). [http://www.moe.gov.lb/NR/rdonlyres/AD46B54A-CBA8-4B68-A032-446A09A694F8/0/Chap6TourismandRecreation.pdf "Lebanon State of the Environment Report 2001 - Tourism and Recreation"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005081519/http://www.moe.gov.lb/NR/rdonlyres/AD46B54A-CBA8-4B68-A032-446A09A694F8/0/Chap6TourismandRecreation.pdf |date=2007-10-05 }}

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.Boueri, Boutros, and Sayad. Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic, page 57 The après-ski scene in Lebanon is often seen as a crucial part of skiing, and is hence very enjoyable and memorable. A seventh ski field, a steep and rugged one that is suitable for the most intrepid skiers only, is at Mount Hermon,Kennen, Isaiah L. Near East Report: Volumes 7-8 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=855&t=1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030107/www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=855&t=1|archive-date=2016-03-04|title=Developers move ahead with Lebanon's Sannine Zenith project}}

File:Winter in Anti-Lebanon3.JPG]]

File:Albertville Olympic games 1992.jpg

Skiing was introduced to Lebanon 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.William Tracy, Saudi Aramco World, Volume 17, Number 1 (January/February, 1966). [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/196601/ski.lebanon..htm "Ski Lebanon!"]. Retrieved July 7, 2008.Federation Libanaise de Ski. [http://lebskifed.com/profile.asp?ttl=Profile&ttl2=History "Histoire"]. Retrieved July 7, 2008.Hiver.com. [http://www.hiver.com/regions.php?fiche=33 "Regions/International - Liban"]. Retrieved July 7, 2008.

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 Bsharri 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, a 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 Bsharri .

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.{{cite book |title=Rapport Général sur les V^es Jeux Olympiques d'hiver St-Moritz 1948 |author=Comité Olympique Suisse |publisher=H. Jaunin |location=Lausanne |date=January 1951 |language=French |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1948/ORW1948.pdf |accessdate=2008-06-10}}

In 1959, the resort of Oyoune el Simane known today as Mzaar Kfardebian was started Skiing Heritage Journal - Winter 1996, page 24 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

In 1967 and up until 1972 the federation cooperated with the Lebanese Army to host the World Championship of Military Ski.

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.Le Petit Futé Liban, page 195 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, a 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).

• Faqra
• Laqlouq also written Laklouk
• Zaarour
• Qanat Bakish
• Mzaar Kfardebian
• Cedars Ski Resort

The ski season, which is similar to the Alps, typically runs from mid-December to April, depending on the length and depth of snowfall.Frank Coles, guardian.co.uk (March 30, 2006). [https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/mar/30/wintersportsholidays.wintersports.lebanon "Secret skiing"]. Retrieved July 9, 2008Carter, Dunston, and Humphreys. Syria and Lebanon, page 382 In spring, it is sometimes possible to snow ski in the morning and drive to the coast in the afternoon to water ski.Aikman, David. The Mirage of Peace: Understanding the Never-Ending Conflict in the Middle East, page 48

• Lebanon at the 2010 Winter Olympics
• Sport in Lebanon
• Cedars of God
• Mzaar Kfardebian

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• {{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csx8wr |title=Skiing Mount Lebanon |last=Karl Sharro |first= |date=2018-03-31 |website=BBC World Service |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |access-date= |quote=audio: 27 min.}}
• [http://www.lebskifed.com Official site of the Lebanese Ski Federation]
• [http://www.skileb.com Skiing in Lebanon] guide
• [http://www.lebanonslopes.com skiing service provider in lebanon]

Category:Sport in Lebanon