Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Israelis race to the slopes for 48-hour ski season
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Asia Pacific
World
Israelis race to the slopes for 48-hour ski season
AFP - Friday, February 19
Send
IM Story
Print
Snowborders ride a skilift to the slopes of Mount Hermon in the northern Golan Heights, on February 6. The fierce uphill winds blow bare gaps in the slopes, the surrounding area is littered with minefields and the ski resort is a mere snowball's throw from disputed borders with Lebanon and Syria, but none of it deters the crowds.
MOUNT HERMON, Golan Heights (AFP) - – Israeli snowboarder Mandi Shkhuri was on the slopes for this year's entire season. All two days of it.
He was one of thousands of Israelis who earlier this month flocked to Mount Hermon -- or rather, the sliver of the mountain occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War -- for what could be the shortest ski season in the world.
The fierce uphill winds blow bare gaps in the slopes, the surrounding area is littered with minefields and the ski resort is a mere snowball's throw from disputed borders with Lebanon and Syria, but none of it deters the crowds.
"The snow is not great and the skiing conditions are bad. But the important thing is that it's ours... It's close to home," Shkhuri said.
"We wait the whole year and the moment it snows we start making phone calls. We are about 15 guys and we all call each other to see who is going... If we are lucky we'll have a month of skiing. That would be good."
The 5,000 acre (2,000 hectare) resort is usually open for a few weeks from late December or early January, but an unusually mild winter this year held the snow off until February, and it melted away within days.
"The season started a bit late," said Liron Mills, a manager at the resort. "We wait the whole year for the two or three months we can operate the site and bring in visitors and skiers.
"We take advantage of every minute."
The resort operates eight lifts and uses ploughs to bring snow from higher ground to fill in gaps on the runs. Skiers steer clear of the summit, however, which is controlled by Syria, officially at war with Israel since 1948.
The resort is 2,000 metres (6,000 feet) above sea level on the northern edge of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau seized by Israel from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally.
More than 18,000 Syrians, mostly from the breakaway Druze sect of Islam, remain from the Golan's original population of 150,000. The vast majority have refused to take Israeli citizenship.
Syria has demanded that the entire territory be returned to it as part of any future peace agreement, but the last indirect talks between the two bitter enemies broke down in 2008.
There are 20,000 Israeli settlers living in the Golan, but with its boutique wineries, national parks and quaint villages, the region bears little resemblance to the West Bank or Gaza, Palestinian territories seized in 1967.
A week after the ski season came and went, a few thousand people held a pro-Syria march in Majdal Shams, the Druze village just below the Israeli settlement housing the ski resort.
The demonstrators carried Syrian flags and portraits of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the nearby border, where they broadcast speeches to a similar gathering at a military base on the other side.
"The Golan is Arab and a part of Syria," said Bishr al-Makd, one of the organisers of the rally, which was attended by dozens of Druze elders with wide broom-like moustaches, white skullcaps and traditional black gowns.
"A person cannot trade his mother or father for another," he added.
But a few miles away at the town's sole ski shop, where a group of young men in short sleeves sat outside in the balmy springtime weather, there was more concern over the lack of snow than the political stalemate.
"We'll probably lose a million dollars this year," said Shufi Anan, a 21-year-old Druze resident who works at the shop. He worries that the town's biggest tourism season may have come and gone already.
"Our work depends on the snow. If there's snow, there's work. It has nothing to do with Israeli or Syrian politics," he said.
Shkhuri, the Israeli snowboarder, meanwhile hopes that the path to Middle East peace runs through white, glistening powder.
"Our hope is that if they sign an agreement then we could ski all over Mount Hermon," he said. "If that's the case then I'm all for it."
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Nazis' biggest propaganda film in focus in Berlin AFP - 1 hour 24 minutes ago
'Harry Potter' author hit with plagiarism lawsuit AP - 2 hours 52 minutes ago
J.K. Rowling calls Potter plagiarism case "absurd" Reuters - Friday, February 19
Bosnian film ponders strict Islam's place in West Reuters - Friday, February 19
Australian Aboriginal singer Ruby Hunter dies AP - Thursday, February 18
News Search
Top Stories
Retail giant Wal-Mart sees quarterly profits up 22%
US new jobless claims post surprise jump
Daimler posts loss for 2009, upbeat for this year
Societe Generale to pay traders 250m euros
Dozens of primate species on the brink: study
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
DNA reveals some mystery on King Tut, raises questions
Scientists recreate Big Bang heat of 4 tln degrees C
Astronomers find oldest stars outside Milky Way
US probe launched into Toyota Corolla problems
Lady Gaga scoops 3 awards at the Brits
More Most Viewed »
Third-hand smoke also bad for you: study
DNA reveals some mystery on King Tut, raises questions
Pitt, Jolie sue British paper over split claims
Fury heats up after new AIG bonuses
Sugary soft drinks linked to pancreatic cancer: study
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Thursday, 18 February 2010 Kosovo independence anniversary highlights EU split
Britain to investigate link in Hamas man killing
Google CEO woos suspicious mobile industry
Lufthansa pilots vote for crippling strikes
Sarkozy visits Haiti, unveils major aid package
|
Zimbabwe sanctions 'must go': Mugabe
Record aid to poor nations 'falls short of pledges'
Syria's Assad holds security talks with U.S. official
US-TECH Summary
Scientists recreate Big Bang heat of 4 tln degrees C
Iran leader accuses U.S. of "war-mongering"
Jillian Michaels Sued For Third Time For Diet Pills Endorsement
New York Times reporter accused of plagiarism resigns: NYT
Group claims responsibility for giant Latvian tax hack
Shake-up at Venezuela TV station worries Chavez foes
|
Google digital book project gets day in court
Networks desperately seek data capacity
Israel says no proof it carried out Dubai killing
|
Air France crash search to continue in mid-March
|
Industry explores new roads with free maps
Twitter dating for tech-savvy singles
U.N. calls on Sudan to probe attack on peacekeepers
|
Corruption is surging in Italy, says state auditor
|
Spate of Christian killings before Iraq March vote
|
Pakistan confirms arrest of Afghan Taliban's No. 2
For Apple suppliers, loose lips can sink contracts
|
U.S. trade body to probe RIM, Apple smartphones
|
US won't talk to Taliban until it cuts Qaida ties
Dalai Lama heads for White House as China fumes
Iran supreme leader lashes out at Clinton 'lies'
Aspirin Found To Aid In Breast Cancer Treatment
Networks desperately seek data capacity
|
Study Finds Link Between Pumping Pressure On Right Side Of Heart, Deaths
Taliban town residents skeptical of NATO promises
U.S. Housing Data Firms As Home Starts Exceed Forecasts
Google CEO woos suspicious mobile industry
|
UN envoy visits prisoners in northern Myanmar
Humana Inc. Announces Plan To Cut Staff By 1,500 in 2010
Jillian Michaels Sued For Third Time For Diet Pills Endorsement
Roberta Flack To Perform At South Florida Black History Gala
Ceiling Collapse In Massachusetts Base Injures 2
US aircraft carrier in Hong Kong amid China tensions
3 Said Dead In Small Plane Crash In California
Muslim rebels reject Philippine peace offer
A look at NATO combat rules in Afghanistan
New Jersey Man Tells Police He Threw Baby Daughter Off Bridge
Afghan army raises flag on embattled Taliban town
Two-For-One Bullet Ends Women's Mardi Gras Partying
Pakistan confirms Taliban leader's arrest
Indian firm designs armoured car for hotel corridors
Carrefour wins appeal against Indonesia antitrust ruling
China seen flexing financial muscle amid US tensions
Bharti shares rally as boss hits out at Zain bid critics
India pegs growth this year at 7.5%
Pakistan's July-Jan c/a def narrows to $2.487 bln
Toyota considers recall of top-selling Corolla
Moore, Bening team up in lesbian family comedy
|
Shroud of Turin to be major tourist draw: officials
Actors Dancy, Whishaw praised playing gay lovers in NY
Alexander McQueen hanged himself in wardrobe
Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum hosts Paul Gauguin exhibit
Actors Dancy, Whishaw praised playing gay lovers in NY
|
Peru's off-the-books economy a cushion for crisis: experts
Taiwan to challenge China's 'soft power'
China contender at Mr Gay World event fears hometown return
Alexander McQueen hanged himself in wardrobe
|
Can McQueen label survive?
Lesbian-led film wins cheers at Berlin Festival
Noisy children no longer 'verboten' in Berlin
Mossad chief won't quit over Dubai hit
Fireworks in homeland ahead of Dalai Lama's Obama meeting
|
New HBO online strategy only benefits subscribers
Dozens of primate species on the brink: study
FBI Nabs Former Defense Contractor For Bribery, Money Laundering
Astronomers find oldest stars outside Milky Way
Mossad chief won't quit over Dubai hit: source
|
US probe launched into Toyota Corolla problems
Isabella Rosselini, Edgar Ramirez Among Those Featured In New Sundance Channel Shows
DNA reveals some mystery on King Tut, raises questions
US hails Taliban commander's capture as 'big success'
Global cyberattacks hit firms, governments: report
Country Star Big Kenny Pays Tribute To Late Friend, Haitian Earthquake Victims With New Label
Facebook tightens privacy on third-party programs
Sade Earns #1 Debut On Billboard 200 Albums Chart With "Soldier Of Love"
U.S. agency to probe Kodak claim against RIM, Apple
Israel says no proof it carried out Dubai killing
Beyoncé Video Outfit Sparks Lawsuit From Bikini Designer
Iran says will not give up nuclear work at any price
Hewlett-Packard profit up 25 percent in first quarter
Boeing, Machinists Agree On Layoff Deal
Microsoft weaving social networks into Office 2010
Egypt's King Tut born of incestuous marriage
Powerful quake hits near China-Russia border
|
Hewlett Packard Q1 Profit Jumps 25 Percent On Revenue Growth, Cost Reductions
Greece wants support not money from EU: PM
|
China's ant tribe poses policy challenge for Beijing
|
Study Finds Racial Disparity In Surgical Procedures
Online rights group calls for Google Buzz inquiry
U.N. wants to keep Chad peacekeepers, gov't says no
|
Wrongly Imprisoned Man Receives Millions Upon Release
Does Congo mean business with rush of reforms?
|
FOMC Minutes Show Some Fed Officials Ready To Sell Assets
Hewlett-Packard profit up 25 percent in first quarter
China activist lawyer's wife seeks his whereabouts
Christmas Day bomber 'in over his head:' passenger
Obama to meet Dalai Lama despite Chinese warning
New HBO online strategy only benefits subscribers
|
Anwar trial: Judge refuses to recuse himself
Eight US missionaries leave Haiti for US: witnesses
Whalers, activists clash again in Antarctic waters
Rights groups slam Malaysia caning of Muslim women
Tongan teens appeal against court-ordered flogging
China's Wang retains short-track speed skating 500m title
Eight Americans in Haiti kidnap case leave jail
US open to options in Japan base row: diplomat
Eight US missionaries arrive in Miami after Haiti release
Thailand to extradite Briton to UAE in fraud case
Top US envoy meets Assad as Syria back in from the cold
Faulty landing gear forces plane back to Sydney
Seoul shares decline as autos, financials weigh
Japan central bank keeps interest rate unchanged
Pakistani stocks up after judicial row settled
Toyota suffers new blow with Corolla safety probe
PAKISTAN
Bank of Japan holds low interest rate
NZ consumer confidence off highs in Feb
Seoul shares move in tight range; techs, autos down
NZ aims to align tax rates, boost capital markets
Australian Aboriginal singer Ruby Hunter dies
S.Korea bonds fall on c.bank comment, U.S. lead
Anthony Hopkins shows his talent on canvas
|
"Messenger" director eyes Kurt Cobain movie
Rare Sumatran rhino gets pregnant in Indonesia
Anthony Hopkins shows his talent on canvas
Film stars take tragic, musical turns on Paris stage
NBC uses Olympics to lure back lost audience
|
Affleck, Damon reuniting at Warner Bros
Ninety-Year-Old British Man Delivers Newspapers And New Guinness Record
Sophie Theallet celebrates femininity, Vera Wang sees black
Messenger director eyes Kurt Cobain movie
|
California Capital In "Crappy" Conundrum Over Crows
NBC uses Olympics to lure back lost audience
TV pitchman Trudeau gets 30-day jail sentence
TV pitchman Trudeau gets 30-day jail sentence
|
Designer McQueen hanged himself in wardrobe
Affleck, Damon reuniting at Warner Bros
|
Dubai near certain Mossad behind Hamas killing: report
|
Europeans press Israel on Hamas assassination row
Daimler posts loss for 2009, upbeat for this year
Virus has breached 75,000 computers: study
Dubai near certain Mossad behind Hamas killing
Societe Generale to pay traders 250m euros
Florida Golf Course Tightens Security For Tiger Woods Press Conference
Suicide bomber kills 10 near Iraq govt offices
Taliban using 'human shields' in Afghan assault
Atari beams up with new Star Trek online game
Holbrooke in Pakistan after Taliban arrests
|
Sade Earns #1 Debut On Billboard 200 Albums Chart With "Soldier Of Love"
U.N. aid chief chides agencies on Haiti relief
|
Canada's privacy czar slams Google social network
Suicide bomber kills 11 in Iraq's Anbar province
Hamas sources allege Fatah link to Dubai killing
|
Iran rejection of rights calls contemptuous-Amnesty
At least 10 dead in Iraq suicide car bomb: hospital
Suicide bomber kills 11 in Iraq's Anbar province
|
Gunfire erupts in Niger capital in apparent coup bid
|
UK urges Israel to cooperate in fake passport probe
|
Marines still looking over shoulder for Taliban
|
Yemen rebels hand over two Saudi soldiers
|
Amazon launches free Kindle app for Blackberry
|
Florida Golf Course Tightens Security For Tiger Woods Press Conference
Microsoft/Yahoo search partnership cleared by EU
|
Cyber Attack Drill Finds U.S. Unprepared For Doomsday Scenarios
Two Burger King Employees Fired, Arrested After Painkiller Found In Sandwich
Virus has breached 75,000 computers: study
|
Virginia Removes Protections For Gay State Workers
Atari beams up with new Star Trek online game
|
Courtney Love's Band Hole To Release "Nobody's Daughter" In April
Army Base Temporarily Closed After Live Ammo Found In Soldier's Vehicle
Pakistan: Al-Qaida-linked militants arrested
Bomb kills 29 in Pakistan as US envoy visits
China Drops Holdings Of U.S. Treasury Notes: What Is It Trying To Say?
Missionaries Back In U.S. After Release From Haitian Jail
UN envoy meets freed Suu Kyi aide in Myanmar
Air Travelers To Visibly See More Technology At Airports Says TSA
Update: Palo Alto Plane Crash Kills Tesla Workers; Causes Widespread Power Outage
Truck hits Thai princess' convoy in Bangladesh
New attempt to extradite Russian arms suspect Bout
Official: Bomb blast kills 29 in NW Pakistan
Pakistan avalanche kills 20, 30 buried: police
Bank of Japan firm in face of political pressure
Bomb kills 10 near Pakistan militant base
Sony to close Alabama recording media plant
Japan mobile company Willcom files for bankruptcy
Taiwan laptop maker warns of China labor shortages
Cautious profit taking sends Asian shares lower
Pakistan's forex reserves ease to $14.32 bln
Air India wins $174m bail-out
Beijing's Treasury holdings fall as it diversifies
N.Korea eases curbs on markets nationwide: group
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
J.K. Rowling calls Potter plagiarism case absurd
|
Bosnian film ponders strict Islam's place in West
Indonesian envoys skip meetings over poor English
McQueen's label will go on, says luxury group PPR
Bosnian film ponders strict Islam's place in West
|
Israelis race to the slopes for 48-hour ski season
The martial arts grannies of Kenya's Korogocho slum
Vancouver's Asians say: 'Go Canada, Go'
Veterinary Charity Suggests Lenten Practice For One-Third Of Dogs In Britain With Weight Problems
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights