A couple months ago when the mover guy came across my ski clothes to pack up, he gave me a funny look and I just said, “yeah that’s going to be really useful in South Africa !”.  We laughed and into the carton went the clothes.  Well, in fact you CAN ski in South Africa in the Drakensberg Mountains at Tiffindell Ski Resort which I already knew, however what I didn’t know is that you can almost ski right here in Joburg.

Skis and Snowboards

We were at Cedar Square Shopping Centre here in Fourways on our way to work out when we passed these skis and snowboards all lined up.  I thought, oh cool, a ski store.  Then I looked up and saw this:

Snowboarding at Avalanche

People were (almost) skiing and snowboarding in the middle of Joburg !  Well there was no real snow involved (I did say almost) but there was a tow rope up to the top of the fairly steep run and an eager skier was really flying back down (while another really struggled with the tow rope).

Skiing at Avalanche

The ski slope is run by a cafe in Cedar Square Shopping Centre called Avalanche.  The price is between 300 and 390 ZAR for an hour, depending on your level.  This includes the equipment as well as an instructor.

Snowboard Lesson

They also host children’s parties and if you aren’t brave enough to get on the slopes, you can just sit and have a drink and watch the fun.

Avalanche

We haven’t had a chance to get back to give this a try (ok, so I need to work up a bit of courage, that slope looks steep !) but it sure looked like everyone was having a good time, and I continue to be amazed at how diverse Joburg is.  Hope you are having a very happy holiday season !

Happy Holidays from Joburg