Lebanese escape war fears to snow-covered ski slopes

Days ago, Tala Assaad could hear Israeli strikes near south Lebanon's coastal city of Sidon. Now, she's having lunch at a packed ski resort, eager to disconnect from news of war.

This winter, more well-heeled Lebanese have been hitting the slopes north of Beirut as Lebanon's Hizbollah and arch-foe Israel exchange near-daily fire in the country's south, amid fears of all-out conflict as the Gaza war rages.

Assaad, 17, said her house in Shehim shook after Israel struck just some 15 kilometres away — a rare bombardment deep into Lebanon that wounded at least 14 people, mostly Syrian workers. Israel said it targeted Hizbollah weapons depots.

Skiers use a chairlifts as others slide on the snow in the Lebanese ski resort of Faraya. AFP

"Skiing is an outlet that helps us disconnect from the situation we're in," said Assaad in Kfardebian, around 80 kilometres from border areas where the violence has displaced nearly 90,000 people, according to the United Nations.

But in the mountain town of Kfardebian, recently crowned the region's winter tourism capital for 2024 by the Arab Tourism Organisation, a semblance of normalcy prevails.

Long queues criss-cross the snow-covered slopes leading to the ski lifts, while skiers and snowboarders glide past.

Edwin Jarkedian, 21, said he was fearful after Hizbollah and Israel began exchanging fire the day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted. "But what are we supposed to do? If we constantly think about it, we can no longer live," he said, while taking a short break from snowboarding.

'We want to live'

The cross-border violence has killed at least 284 people in southern Lebanon, most of them Hizbollah fighters but also including 44 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, according to the army, while tens of thousands have been displaced.

A child learns to ski at the Lebanese ski resort of Faraya, in Mount Lebanon north of Beirut. AFP

Nicole Wakim, marketing manager at Kfardebian's Mzaar ski resort, said that "Lebanese need to escape to the mountains to forget what's happening in the south." More people have been skiing this year compared to the previous season, she told AFP.

Skiing is a luxury in a country hit by a four-year economic meltdown that has pushed most of the population into poverty.

Marcel Semaan, 41, said a one-day skiing trip for him and his three children cost over $150. The monthly minimum wage in Lebanon is around $100.

"We've lived through wars and we don't want our kids to go through the same experience," Semaan said, referring to Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil conflict and the last Israel-Hizbollah war in 2006.

"Our hearts are with them," he said, referring to residents of the south, "but we want to live our lives."

Before the violence erupted, the World Bank had forecast economic growth in Lebanon for the first time since 2018, driven by tourism.

Now, the body expects the struggling country to slip back into recession. Walking in the snow with her three children, Sara Jomaa said she appreciated the escape, but expressed regret that it felt disconnected from reality.

"When you're here, you feel like there aren't any economic or political crises," said Jomaa, a Lebanese citizen who usually lives in Paraguay. "It's like the south isn't part of the country," she added.

Agence France-Presse