Up in the hills of Lesotho, a tiny ski place is drawing the crowd to enjoy something rare on the continent of Africa: real snow, cold wind, and the chance of skiing under a bright southern sky. The location is in a mountain kingdom where only a few are living and this winter pocket is getting precious even further because of the change in the climate.
Lesotho, a hillier country with its territory in the heart of Africa, has long been the envy of tourists for its natural beauty and cool highland climate. On these high parts of the Maluti chain of mountains, the winters are still sufficiently cold to allow the snowmaking machines as well as to bring about natural snowfall on the right years. Skiing there brings a different set of ski slopes that can satisfy novices as well as ski fans who just want a change of scenery.
Contrasting features are what many visitors are fond of. Africa, of course, is more usually linked with savannas, deserts, and tropical coasts, and not with the skiing lifts and the snowy slopes. The skiing feeling that one has from the skiing spot, which is in itself on the top of Africa’s high mountains, makes for a whole new experience one which, for very big and mature resorts in Europe or North America, couldn’t be matched. Travelers mostly mention that it’s unexpected and at the same time, surprisingly quiet with a strong relationship to the mountainous surroundings.
Apart from being a unique spot, its presence also is a reflection of the major changes that are happening across the continent. The rising temperature and the changing rainfall pattern have led to a reorganisation of the weather cycle in a number of locations. The fact is that in some places, winters have been less cold and less reliable. In that situation, a place that will still provide winter sports facilities to be enjoyed becomes rare. The mountain ski resort in Lesotho, for instance, is equipped with snowmaking machines to increase snow coverage and prolong the operating season. This technology has become indispensable for not only keeping the runs in condition but also supporting the people whose livelihood has a lot to do with winter-related tourism.
The positive effects of this mountain sport activity have been seen by local people. Through the mountain ski resort, local people in Lesotho find work related mainly to hospitality, maintenance of ski installations like the lifts and chairlift systems, renting out ski equipment and even guide work for skiing trails. Since the country lacks industries on a national level, it is a big boon to the local economy to have this tourism that makes the use of the unique highland weather conditions as one of the selling points. As for travelers, they are not only attracted to skiing for its own sake but they also love being able to experience the life and culture of the local community through the food they have, listening to stories of the Basotho people and going on hikes in the beautiful surrounding nature landscapes. All factors together bring about a kind of tourism which is personal instead of a major production one.
At the same time, there is no way that the running of the resort can ignore In reality for climate change, mountainous areas are very delicate and vulnerable. A trend of warming of the global climate could be the cause that eventually leads to the disappearance of the conditions necessary for making skiing possible. They are not shy about admitting the importance of getting their house in order both by improving their snow-making methods and creating many leisure activities for the summer or by implementing water-saving measures. Such a way of doing things could become what ski resorts throughout the globe are currently discussing, i.e. how winter sports depend more and more upon the climate resilience.
