Southern Africa’s two ski areas are due to open for their ski seasons a few days before the World Cup finals kick off in South Africa. The ski slopes are some hours from the football grounds, but a snow and football holiday is a realistic possibility.

In Southern Africa, Afriski in Lesotho, plans to open for the season a week on Tuesday on May 25th, but is yet to post any weather reports.

South Africa’s only ski centre Tiffindell, plans to start its season on June 3rd, a week before the world cup finals kick off.

The centre, which receives enough natural snowfall to regularly get snowed in several times each season, has also increased its snowmaking year on year and can now cover much of the ski area with machine made snow in just 24 hours when temperatures drop low enough. The season typically lasts for three months to early September – so should make it through the World Cup period.

Tiffindell was established in 1993 as Southern Africa’s only ski resort. It stands on the slopes of the highest mountain in the Cape – Ben McDhui, at 3001m (on the Lesotho border).

The nearest football stadium to the slopes is Bloemfontein, 419km and an approximate 4.5 hour drive away. France, runners-up in the last World Cup, and currently altitude training in the French ski resort of Tignes, are due to play hosts South Africa at the city’s Free State Stadium there on June 22nd.

www.afriski.com / www.skisouthafrica.co.za