Out of the ordinary ski destinations

Looking for a new fresh destination for your next snow holiday? Well from Norway to Lebanon, here are some fascinating places to ski or snowboard.

Kazakhstan might not be the first place you think of when you start planning a ski holiday, but the city of Almaty just missed out on holding the Winter Olympics in 2022, pipped by Beijing. Even Prince Harry has skied in Kazakhstan – at Shymbulak in 2014. Who’d have thought? Here are some more interesting places you can ski.

Norway

Norway has a strong ski pedigree, with Lillehammer hosting the Winter Olympics in 1994 and hosted the 2nd Winter Youth Olympic Games from 12 to 21 February in 2016. Over a thousand athletes aged 15 to 18 from 71 nations competed. Lillehammer has five ski resorts, Hafjell, Skeikampen, Kvitfjell, Gålå and Sjusjøen.

Hemsedal is another area, featuring 20 lifts and 50 slopes with plenty of variety. There are 250 kilometres of cross-country and plenty more to see and do such as snow parks, ice climbing, dog sledding and children play area.

Lebanon

Just an hour from Beirut, you’ll find the Mzaar ski resort on Mount Lebanon, which has 25 chairlifts, 50 runs and 100km of terrain. The resort suits everyone from first-timers to advanced, with incredibly scenic runs. From the top of Mzaar, you look out over the colourful Beqaa Valley and other peaks like Laqlouq and the Cedars.

The town of Faraya sits at the base of the ski area, and has an excellent selection of hotels and self-catering chalets with the pick being the InterContinental Mzaar Lebanon Mountain Resort & Spa. The dining options are plentiful with a large choice of restaurants and bars with everything from Lebanese Mezze to fondue and raclette.

Russia

Having seen the Sochi Winter Olympics on television in 2014, we know there is snow there. The biggest resort is Rosa Khutor, which hosted the alpine ski, snowboard and freestyle events during the games. Rosa Khutor has 29 lifts servicing more than 100 kilometres of trails that have beautiful views over the Greater Caucasus Range and the Black Sea – a different view from the Rockies or the Alps.

The resort offers terrain for skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels. There is plenty of accommodation, as the Olympic Village was built here, and the town has some crazy Christmas and New Year celebrations.

This article originally appeared in Ski & Snowboard with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.

Main image © Frank Tolpinrud, Hemsedal Resort