Tiffindell Ski Resort, Tiffindell | Quick reference Sheet

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From your first welcoming drink, through to your final goodbye, our friendly staff will look after you so you can enjoy the ‘MAGIC of snow’ in this unique African environment. The mountain is the perfect place to escape from reality and enjoy a snowy, thrilling time.

LEARN TO SKI OR SNOWBOARD

Tiffindell has skilled ski and snowboard instructors, who will teach you to ski safely, and ensure that by the end of your stay, you will be able to swish down the slopes with control. A beginner ski or snowboard course is compulsory for first timers, on specially prepared flat beginner area about 60m long. After your course, you should be skiing or snowboarding on your own with control and using the beginner lift for a day or two. As you gain confidence, you will move onto the main slope. Private beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons are available on request.

Skiing and snowboarding are adrenaline sports, which never cease to challenge. There is always more to pit your skill and nerve against, especially with the improved equipment available, including carving skis. The main slope is 1km long but has increased with our development plan which started during the 2006 season. At times only parts of this are usable, depending on the snowmaking weather and natural snowfalls. It is ideal for practising and improving your abilities in jumping, slalom and quick turns. The slopes cater for about 300 skiers per day and after good snowfalls, guests can also ski off-piste for up to 1.5Km.

ACCOMMODATION

Stay in heated Timber Chalets. Tiffindell's 188 guests are accommodated in centrally heated rooms within 100m of the slope and the main lodge. There is a choice of private chalets; en-suite bedrooms, budget accommodation rooms in the lodge with shared ablution facilities, or the option of luxury 6 or 12 sleeper self-catering accommodation. For the more daring, camping is available.

DINING

For the Hearty and Festive, enjoy our full English buffet breakfasts and a La Carte dinners in the “Upper Limits” restaurant. Take away lunches are available, to satisfy the skier’s daytime appetites. You are more than welcome to bring your most desirable wine but please note a corkage fee will be charged (in the restaurant and bar).

ENTERTAINMENT

Tiffindell’s Après-Ski, matches the best, with some really unique programmes. Enjoy Schnapps and Gluhwein in South Africa’s highest pub - “Ice Station 2720”. Try some of the local snowy cocktails, hang upside-down from skis and watch the flame torch ski demonstration. Have a few drinks at ‘Yeti’s Retreat Pub’ as the sun goes down, sit by the fire, or party the night away. There is also a games room and childminding facility. There are a range of daytime activities including exhilarating walks, a visit to frozen waterfalls or the spectacular Telle Falls, participation in a snowball fight, making a snowman or bum boarding!

SKI GEAR

The ski hire will supply you with all the equipment you need for snow activities. Ski clothing for hire or sale is available at reasonable prices, while a range of accessories, including sweaters, beanies, goggles, cameras and pharmaceutical goods is also available. You can purchase your winter gear from our ski shop in Fourways at Snowscape, at the same prices as on the mountain.

MEDICAL ATTENTION

The resort has medics on duty, with a first aid room. The front desk can assist with hangovers, aches and pains, while a resident masseuse can ease your muscles. Please take note: There is a pharmacy in Elliot with a practicing pharmacist. There is no longer a resident pharmacist in Barkly East - scripts are faxed away to be signed by a practicing pharmacist and then have to be faxed back before the service can be offered.

SNOW

Snowmaking currently covers 1km of ski run for about 3 months of the year, during average winters, this too will increase with the next few phases of the development plan. The advanced system with a grooming machine, ensures the best possible conditions in an African climate. Tiffindell’s modern snowmaking equipment is like a fancy sprinkler system making use of the natural cold weather high up in the mountains to freeze the water into crude snow crystals.

LOCATION

Tiffindell’s pioneering efforts in 1993 led to South Africa’s only ski resort being established on the slopes of the highest mountain in the Eastern Cape - Ben McDhui, at 3001m (on the Lesotho and RSA border). The resort is constantly expanding and is a popular winter holiday venue. The carefully selected position of the resort, on the south facing slope of the highest mountain in the Cape, ensures that the snow lasts, extending the time available for snow skiing. Slopes cleared and groomed during summer quickly transform to ski runs after even the lightest of snowfalls. There is MTN, Vodacom and Cell C coverage at the resort.

Tiffindell Ski Resort, Tiffindell, Eastern Cape