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Afriski from the top, Afri-Ski

Afri-Ski

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Afri-Ski


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Ski Lesotho

Afri-Ski Resort Reviews

Resorts > Lesotho (1) > Afri-Ski

Visitor reviews for Afri-Ski Ski Resort

  • August 23, 2012
    Brendan Tarpey from South Africa

    We have just come back from having the most incredible time at Afri-ski. The resort is extremely well run with friendly ski instructors who will go out of their way to encourage the kids and adults to learn to ski. The experience will definitely go down as one of the most memorable long weekends in the snow. We will definitely be back.

  • Afri-Ski Ratings

    Based on 15 votes. Vote

    Access: 2.8

    (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Afri-Ski.

    		 Public Transport: 1.3

    (1) There are no buses or taxis to Afri-Ski, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
    Scenery: 3.5

    (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

    		 Accommodation: 3.4

    (1) No places to stay in/near Afri-Ski, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
    Cheap Rooms: 2.8

    (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

    		 Luxury Hotels: 2.6

    (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Afri-Ski.
    Ski in/Ski out: 3.1

    (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

    		 Childcare: 3.1

    (1) There are no child care facilities at Afri-Ski, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
    Snowsure: 3.0

    (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Afri-Ski is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

    		 Snowmaking: 4.2

    (1) Afri-Ski relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
    Snow Grooming: 4.7

    (1) There are no snow groomers at Afri-Ski, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Afri-Ski are groomed daily.

    		 Shelter: 2.7

    (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Afri-Ski is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
    Nearby options: 1.0

    (1) If snow conditions are poor at Afri-Ski, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

    		 Regional rating: 4.2

    (1) Afri-Ski usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
    Lift Staff: 4.0

    (1) The staff at Afri-Ski are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Afri-Ski are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

    		 Crowds/Queues: 3.1

    (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
    Ski Schools: 3.4

    (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

    		 Hire and Repairs: 4.0

    (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
    Variety of pistes: 1.8

    (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Afri-Ski has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

    		 Beginners: 3.8

    (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
    Intermediates: 3.4

    (1) No intermediate terrain at Afri-Ski, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

    		 Advanced: 2.4

    (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
    Snow Park: 3.3

    (1) Not even a kicker at Afri-Ski, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

    		 Off-piste: 1.9

    (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
    Cross-country: 1.3

    (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Afri-Ski, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

    		 Luge/Toboggan: 1.1

    (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Afri-Ski has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
    Mountain Dining: 2.7

    (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

    		 Eating: 2.5

    (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
    Apres-Ski: 3.1

    (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

    		 Other Sports: 1.4

    (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
    Entertainment: 1.8

    (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

    		 Winter Walks: 2.2

    (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
    Ski Pass Value: 2.6

    (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

    		 Value (National): 3.2

    (1) Overall, Afri-Ski is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
    Value (Global): 2.7

    (1) Overall, Afri-Ski is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

    Based on 15 votes. Vote

  • August 20, 2012
    african adventurer from South Africa

    Another ~800km successful weekend roundtrip, leaving many SA squatter camps with their squalor behind- crossing into a rather clean rural Lesotho- past a single manned roadblock- greeting it by "Dumela Ntate", a smile, a quick joke- we were curving our way around crossing sheeps, goats and screetching children up once more past Moteng Pass and further over the 3,222m Mahlasela pass to the 'skiing fields'!

    Afri-Ski resort greeted us with the first arrival of spring and 'firn' snow on the slopes! The deep freeze seemed finally be broken!

    This time, the 'piste' offered a different surface, a bit choppy in the afternoons- due to the sunny but warmer weather and the ever increasing number of 'slope scratchers'- an alien species born in a weak moment between skiers, hobbits and beach bums!

    "Roadblocks": Lesotho love roadblocks! Usually they consist of 2 opposing stop signs @ 100m apart- police in the middle! You are required to stop and stay put at the stop sign until the officer waves to you to proceed to him in the middle and stop again! Should you stop but continue without being waved on- you committed an offense of ignoring a stop sign! Argumentative behaviour will land you in trouble! An apologetic and jovial attitude will save your day! Spot fines are legal but must be accompanied by an official receipt- no need to bribe anybody! You are a guest in Lesotho- behave like one! Remember: you require 2 warning triangles, buckle up and have a valid vehicle and drivers licence (no 21 days grace is allowed in Lesotho as is in SA- your SA car 3rd party is also not valid in Lesotho- check with your insurance!) Should you have valid problems visit the Butha Buthe traffic police!

    The Afri-Ski snowmakers assured us that the white stuff would outlast the sun for at least 2 more weekends. It was another great weekend where our bodies and resort fired on all six cylinders! - See you in summer for a walk to the Mont-Aux-Sources @ 3,282m!

    [note from the editor: we try and avoid naming individuals with the resort reviews]

  • August 12, 2012
    Rhys from South Africa

    Been coming up here for the past 25 years (since my student days) where we erected drag lifts run on lawnmower engines, and skied on antiquated equipment from the 70's....how things have changed!

    Really enjoyed our stay - the resort as a whole keeps on improving - from the additional lifts to the restaurant. Keep it up!

  • August 12, 2012
    Rosemary from South Africa

    Wow, am super impressed with the major service, snowmaking and lift improvements. The sky restaurant and gondola (après-ski bar and slope restaurant) are new additions and are beautiful! First went to Afri-ski in 2009 and now it is a real ski resort - none of the above were there in 2009. Massive improvements all round. Snowboarding park is where I spend my time and it is fab! Sky restaurant with views of the slope . New intermediate ski lift and slope put up in 2012 keeps intermediate skiers off main run and T-bar making previous long queues a thing of the past. Well done!!

  • August 09, 2012
    willie from South Africa

    We regret to advice:
    After our stay at your resort last week, traveling back to SA border we were stopped by traffic police near the SA border who demanded money at gun point.
    The traffic police falsely accused us of not stopping. I was escorted to go behind near bushes where a women and man in plain close confronted us with immediate spot fines to be paid. The women pointed an AK 47 at me. We paid the bribe R 200 just to get out of that country. Several drivers of following cars, also complaint of the same treatment.
    Unless we have confirmation from the resort that “you will do the necessary” … We regrettably will have no option but to advise the public - all future holiday makers, of these incidents. We hope you will do the necessary to safe guard holiday makers in future.
    We would like to stay anonymous for fear of retaliation action next time.
    Looking forward to your response.
    I know it is not possible to report the incident without real victims willing to testify, but the kind of action we would like to see is for police to set a trap and capture the criminals. (That is if they really interested in capturing the criminals) Other than that, due to the robbers, your business soon be seriously adversely affected.

  • August 06, 2012
    Johan from South Africa

    Have been going to Afri-ski for 5 years and is improving year after year. Skiing is a great adventure and people must see it in that light not as a privilege, especially in Africa. Afri-ski c u in a few days.

    [note from the editor: text edited slighting in order to remove another reviewers name.]

  • August 02, 2012
    John from South Africa

    Have been visiting for several years - The resort this year was looking fantastic as snow had fallen and you could ski off-piste.
    The T-bar was operating to the top - a first for me - and the new baby slopes have taken a lot of the pressure off the main T-bar.
    The main run was well groomed and considering it is currently the only ski resort in Africa make the most of it.
    The snow park area looked good and has been extended quite a bit.
    Ski equipment has always been good and the staff friendly.
    No Maluti Lager available but the beers were very cold.
    The road is deteriorating but it appears that they will be resurfacing the last part from The New Oxbow lodge to Afri-Ski
    Unfortunately, couldn't overnight as the accommodation was all full but the road to and from RSA wasn't too bad so if you do stay outside Lesotho you can still get a full days skiing.
    I suggest that you avoid the Kings Cup weekend as on two occasions when I have visited over this weekend the queues for the lift have been horrible and not well managed.
    Fantastic to be able to ski at all but it probably is the most expensive resort in the world per Km skied in a day
    If you have the time and a 4x4 well worth doing some of the more remote places in Lesotho and trying some of the passes ie Sani Pass.
    Can't wait to go back.

  • July 11, 2012
    african adventurer from South Africa

    Visited this region during winters since 1975 in Landrovers on donkey tracks, nowadays on tar. Always check the weather before going up to the roof of Africa! Best to use a 4x4 in winter & be prepared! Snowdriving skill an advantage! Resort is great and growing year after year! Not for city slickers or spoilt brats! For African conditions it's super! Piste is groomed and dream snow the last few weeks! A beginners heaven- skilled skiers can do the 1km run 30times/day before catching a breath (30km skiing)- off-piste during natural falls!
    Great exercise, fresh air & fun within ~420km from Jhbg. Alpine atmosphere mixed with African reality. Love it..super!

  • July 11, 2012
    Pine from South Africa

    To another reviewer: if you don't like snow or skiing, you should not go there. Snow is an out of the ordinary happening for many South Africans that is used to sun shine.
    This was our third visit to Afri-Ski. The resort is improving every year. Our stay in the Innsbruck chalet was a great experience and compared well with what Europe is offering. I’ll definitely go back next season.

  • July 09, 2012
    Freda from South Africa

    Never again, horrible-worst holiday ever. Was stuck in snow for 7 hrs on 90km drive. Room had constant power cuts - begged hot water from reception for coffee. Gondola restaurant ran out of sandwiches in the middle of the day. They are not geared to handle many people. It was a scramble to get the ski gear/ passes even though it was pre-booked and pre-paid. Restaurant - awful, booked table at 18h00, was served at 19h30, cheese sauce stuck to bowl, and was told there was no-one in the kitchen to make another, had to do without. Returned a day earlier. Waste of money, rather go to Europe (having been to Sweden-Kiruna, ICE hotel Abisko). Car was pelted with stones by small children in Lesotho-car damaged.

  • June 07, 2012
    Hilton Haley from South Africa

    I've been a few times and I think it's great not too far from jhb and considering its a season activity the resort is run great. Bolau, in the ski shop, has always given me great service and I'm planning on going soon.

  • July 25, 2011
    Louis van Rensburg from South Africa

    Nice when there is snow, management not too bright and service oriented. As good as it's going to get in SA. Go there about 4-5 times a season. Prices reasonable.

  • July 04, 2011
    Mark Human from South Africa

    Great resort, continues to improve year on year. Better snow to the top this year. 6 adults, 4 kids, had a blast. Restaurant efficiency needs work and T-bar still underperforming causes big queues in peak times. Overall... awesome, just need to iron out a few niggles.

  • August 10, 2010
    Petter from South Africa

    We went to Afri-Ski last year and this weekend again. We learnt out lesson and will keep off weekend next year. Great skiing and weather though.

  • June 16, 2010
    Francois Pienaar from South Africa

    What a wonderful skiing opportunity in Africa during the northern hemisphere summer. The resort (Afri-Ski) is well managed and has an atmosphere any skier will enjoy. The accommodation is good and compare with the best in Europe, especially the chalets, which were imported from Estonia. The restaurant and pubs are inexpensive. I’ll definitely go back for a midyear skiing experience.