ski in leb

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="002285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>glialessandrini</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="glialessandrini"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="glialessandrini"><U>glialessandrini</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="underwater city discovered"><U>underwater city discovered</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="télé lumière"><U>télé lumière</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="elton johns"><U>elton john's</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id126.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="magida"><U>magida</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="400 years old"><U>400 years old</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="psychic"><U>psychic</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="relax !"><U>relax !</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mir 20march"><U>mir 20march</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="antelias record"><U>antelias record</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="miss internet"><U>miss internet</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="tabbouleh"><U>tabbouleh</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="the Maronites"><U>the Maronites</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="the sixth day"><U>the sixth day</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="deapsea"><U>deap-sea</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="cinema"><U>cinema</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MZ??"><U>MZ??</U></A>   |   <B>ski in leb</B>   |   <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Beirut"><U>Beirut</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fairuz"><U>fairuz</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eiffel tower"><U>Eiffel tower</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="the man"><U>the man</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="001d2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="0a4bf1e0.gif" border=0 width="191" height="286" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>ski in leb</I></div> <div> <B>The Resorts (</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#006699" FACE="Verdana" ><B>two examples</B></FONT><B>)</B></div> <div> <B><U>1) </U></B><B><U>Faraya Mzaar</U></B></div> <div> Location:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The Mount Lebanon Range. An hours drive out of Beirut. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" >Lifts:</FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><A HREF="http://www.skilebanon.co.uk/map.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.skilebanon.co.uk/map.htm"><U><U>See map of resort</U></U></A><A HREF="http://www.skilebanon.co.uk/map.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.skilebanon.co.uk/map.htm"><U>(size 13k)</U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. There are 16 lifts in total of which 8 are chairs and 8 tows or buttons. A further lift called baby 2 is set up for teaching snow borders and is a hand held pulley device. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Altitude:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The resort is based at 1850m and reaches at the Dome de Mzaar an altitude of 2465m allowing you on a good day to view as far as Beirut and the sea. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Ski season:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The snow is best from mid January until the end of March. Before or after these months it is a gamble. This year has been good, continuing until mid April. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Recommended time to visit:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The end of February and all of March is particularly good as you are still getting fresh snow, but also better weather. For any non-skiers the beauty of this time of year is that you have all the tourist sites to yourselves! And down by the coast the weather is pleasantly warm. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" >Ski standard:</FONT> For very <B>advanced</B> skiers Faraya will give you two days interesting skiing. A suggestion is you take a guide for a day if want to go and find more good off piste. <B>Intermediates</B> will enjoy Faraya and <B>beginners</B> will be very happy, as there are plenty of gentle, empty slopes to learn on and an excellent ski school. </div> <bR> <div> Ski School:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The cost varies with the number of you in the class. There are 25 instructors available so just turn up and arrange things in the morning. For two people it is around $25.00 (£16.00) for the morning (£8.00 each). For three it is around $30.00. (£19.00) which is a little less expensive (at £6.30 each). </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Ski Hire:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > This is $10 (around £6.50) for skis, boots and poles. The equipment is of an international standard and is hired up on the ski slopes. You can also for this price hire snowboards and snowshoes. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Nightlife:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > During the week this is very quiet, but the advantage of this is you have no lift queues and the slopes to yourself! At the weekend it is good but you pay the price on the slopes the next day with the queues. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Accommodation:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > Depending on your budget, we suggest either the 3 Star San Antonio Dallas hotel, or the newly opened Mzaar 2000. This is the first Intercontinental hotel ever to be built outside a city and is located right up by the ski slopes. </FONT></div> <div> The San Antonio is about 10 minutes from the slopes but we lay on transport between 7.30 until 10.00am. This hotel is in a better location as it is further down the mountain so if the weather is bad, it is quicker to get down the road to go and sightsee, (without getting stuck behind snowploughs). </div> <div> If you do want to treat yourselves to the Intercontinental, then please ask and we will get you a price. </div> <bR> <div> Food:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > As with any ski resort anywhere in the world drinks and food are not cheap. This is compounded by a 16% tax on everything that is going towards the rebuilding of the country. </FONT></div> <div> A local Almaza beer or Fosters is in the region of £1.60. On the slopes you are looking at paying £2.50 for a sandwich and a soft drink. If you go for a pizza and wine it is around £12.00. Dinner in the evening will set you back £20.00 - £25.00 for a slap up meal with alcohol. </div> <bR> <div> <B><U>2) The Cedars</U></B></div> <bR> <div> Location:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > Also in the Mount Lebanon Range north of Faraya Mzaar. The resort is a 2 hour drive from Beirut, but only an hour from Tripoli, which is definitely worth a visit when travelling from one resort to the other. The drive up to the Cedars is through some of the most beautiful scenery in Lebanon. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Lifts:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The resort is in a huge basin and it is impossible to get lost, so there is no lift map. There are only 4 snow wire lifts for beginners, 4 T bars (that parallel each other) so really two T bars as regards the amount of slope available to you, and a one seater chairlift right up the mountain (which allows for good off piste around the basin.) </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Altitude:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > The resort is at 2150m with the single chair extending up to 2700m. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Ski season and recommended time to visit:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > As at Faraya Mzaar. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" >Ski standard and alternative snow sports:</FONT> This is a good place for <B>beginners</B>, but for <B>intermediates and advanced</B> skiers it is only really good for a day. The joy of the Cedars is that it is utterly beautiful when the sun shines and the view from the top of the chairlift surpasses anything you could imagine. </div> <div> The off piste around the basin is challenging, but be warned that if the weather is not good, then this chairlift will not be running. </div> <div> It is also only suitable for intermediates and advanced as it is difficult to get on and off - (even with assistance!) </div> <div> An alternative if the skiing bores the advanced skier is to try hiring snowboards or cross-country skis instead. </div> <div> Ski hire facilities are excellent and in the region of $10.00 (around £6.50) per day for all skiing equipment (skis/board, poles, boots). You can also hire snowshoes. Skidoos can be hired at $30.00 (around £20.00) per half-hour and is done on an undulating basin, well away from the ski area. </div> <div> <B>Another exciting alternative</B> (which is not costed into your itinerary) is a skidoo trip back over to Faraya. This needs a guide and arranged collection. If interested we can organise this in advance for you and get you a quote that will obviously be cheaper, depending on the numbers of takers in the party. Paraskiing is also an option. A private club runs it, so if you were interested, it would need to be organised before your departure. </div> <div> With this resort there are wonderful hikes in the Kadisha Gorge. You can trek along the side of the gorge and climb into the ancient Maronite chapels (built in caves in the rock face), which is an experience in itself. Although the skiing is not at all comparable to Faraya Mzaar, this is such a fascinating area of Lebanon that it is worth staying for two days if you can to get a feel for it. </div> <bR> <div> Ski Hire:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > This is of a high standard and the shop is right on the slopes, so you can ski back down and drop off your skis for the night. The cost is again $10.00 (around £6.50) per day and you can if you wish hire cross-country skis, snowboards or snowshoes aswell. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Nightlife:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > Again, like Faraya this is not up to much during the week, but at the weekends it is buzzing. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Accommodation:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > This is in the 3 star Hotel Chbat, which is excellent and should be more than 3 stars! Monsieur Chbat, who is a fantastic host, runs it. The hotel has a lovely ambience. It is 15 minutes from the slopes, but again transport is laid on, and it is positioned in the pretty village of Bcharre. Again if the weather turns bad, it means there are no delays in getting away to go sightseeing. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Food:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > You are not going to do better than the home cooking that comes out of Monsieur Chbats kitchen. We have had two of the best meals ever in Lebanon in his care. They are not really fancy but the taste is fantastic. The price is also very reasonable at $15.00 (£10.00). There are also a couple of good restaurants around $23.00 (£15.00) up by the slopes and a café on the slopes. Again beer and wine are expensive. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >                                                   </FONT>           <A HREF=" http://www.skileb.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" http://www.skileb.com"><U> http://www.skileb.com</U></A>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>