Visitor reviews for Afri-Ski Ski Resort

• July 15, 2017
  Roland Raible from South Africa
  

  We had a super time at Afri-Ski. Stayed at Bagpackers (ed: backpackers?) with my wife and daughter. The atmosphere there was great; all got on well which is a lucky draw. The staff at the accommodation were efficient and friendly. The same can be said at the slope and ski rental place. Unfortunately, due to extreme strong winds +_ 60 km/hr the main ski lift could not operate for 2 days.
  I think it is fantastic to have skiing available in Africa, within a five hr drive from Johannesburg.

• Afri-Ski Ratings

  Overall: 2.9. Based on 23 votes and 26 reviews. Vote

  Access: 2.7 (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: 3.4 (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: 3.3 (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: 2.6 (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: 2.8 (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: 3.6 (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: 3.1 (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: 4.4 (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: 2.6 (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: 4.1 (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: 3.0 (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: 3.5 (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: 2.1 (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: 3.7 (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: 3.5 (1) No intermediate terrain at Afri-Ski, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 2.6 (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: 1.8 (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: 1.3 (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: 2.9 (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: 2.7 (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: 3.3 (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: 1.9 (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: 2.5 (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): 3.4 (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): 2.8 (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.

  Show all 35 ratings

• July 24, 2015
  Jackie from South Africa
  

  Have just spent 4 days at the resort; had a wonderful time and cannot complain about the snow sports or the staff involved in that side of the resort. Wish I could say the same about the housekeeping staff where we stayed in Vail. Our room was dirty, the bedding on the bed stained and shabby, the bathroom stank of sewage, we had no hot water on one of the mornings, the toilet paper was not replaced, the kettle and hairdryer were both broken, the cupboard had two coat hangers which is ridiculous for winter clothing. Additionally, the restaurants in the resort are exorbitant as they have the monopoly. You have no choice; it's pay or starve!

• July 19, 2015
  Dave from South Africa
  

  A really awesome venue to learn to ski or snowboard with excellent teaching facilities. Even if you snowboard, in Europe often, Afriski offers a destination where you are able to focus on your skills without all the "big mountain" fuss. The option of different park runs gave me a chance to learn to rail and jump at my own pace. Something I have not been able to do in 4 trips to Europe. Afriski is a must for all snowboarders and a great destination.

• August 24, 2013
  african adventurer from South Africa
  

  .....also great news & of interest to us skiers & resort visitors: the Lesotho government seems to have acknowledged the increase in tourist traffic from SA by investing in and constructing new customs facilities, by enlarging the "Caledonspoort Border" crossing- alleviating some dreadful bottlenecks- come next winter season!

  Lately, SA authorities seem to be getting stricter on passport control- dual citizen must only use their SA passport for crossing! Permanent residents with foreign passports are asked to show their SA ID.

• August 22, 2013
  african adventurer from South Africa
  

  Could only manage one 'spur of the moment' skiing weekend (17/18 Aug-13) this year! Resort always fully booked in winter- used a very 'spartan' Oxbow lodge! (~9 km drive, road deteriorated to gravel but under construction)- the only other option- did not book- but lucky! (DB&B was R 1,460 per couple/night this year). AfriSki's accommodation are all based on 'private investors owned chalets'- rental pool- not resort owned.
  Skiing, however, always the main attraction though! Snow & Slope in perfect condition- baby slope is sweet & world class to learn on! Intermediate slope is now separated & super safe! Weather dry, hardly any precipitation & water shortage this season - but lower temperatures- allowing enough snow making! Another great improvement and an enjoyable super weekend! Beware of some near unavoidable potholes on the way inside Lesotho! Big rims & tires an advantage!
  @ editor: Seefeld, Maribel, Davos, St. Moritz, Tirol, Vail are just some names describing chalets at Lesotho's AfriSki!

• August 21, 2013
  Chirs from South Africa
  

  First time at Afri-Ski and what you see .. is not what you always get ..
  Vail rooms with cement floors....Room door rotten and beds barely big enough for adults..
  Items stolen from our room and then eventually our car.
  Main restaurant food is too pricey and not satisfactory .
  Multiple people were complaining at the pub by the slope..
  I can't help but think most "positive comments" are from the resort themselves...
  Very pricey trip. R7000.00 om 3-4 days easy... That's a return flight to EU..
  Rather invest in a real holiday.

• August 14, 2013
  Johann from South Africa
  

  Had another wonderful skiing weekend at Afri-ski. The staff are helpful and very friendly!

  The intermediate slope is brilliant for me as a beginner. It allows me to get my confidence up before I go and tackle the main slope.

  All in all, a great experience; just need more lodges to stay at, as the driving in and out takes its toll.

  Cheers 'till next year!

• July 24, 2013
  Stephen Hunter from Lesotho
  

  Wonderful stay! Chalet at Seefeld was great. Fully equiped and serviced daily. Slopes were fantastic and sunshine abundant. What more do you want?

  [note from the editor: it appears that this post has been placed for the wrong ski area.]

• July 16, 2013
  Elmarie from South Africa
  

  We enjoyed our stay at Afri-ski tremendously. Staff were very helpful and Cabin Crew solved our problem with hot water within minutes. Staff overall were friendly.

  The dinners in the Sky Restaurant were great. Some of the best meals I've had ever!

  Ski slopes was well maintained and prepared for the next day every evening. Equipment was in good order.

  Generally a positive experience.

• July 10, 2013
  Keith from South Africa
  

  We had great fun and even with the water problem (it was sorted out on the Thursday), we loved it!
  The staff is friendly. Food is good. Snowboarding and the snowpark is excellent!

  See you next year Afriski.