Tag Archives: snowboard

Afriski Over The Years

First Afriski Trip 2007 - with Youngs
Afriski Infrastructure

After a year or two, skiing became sad, you had to snowboard. It was way cooler.

Afriski with Naudes 2011
Afriski with Ogilvies 2010

Friends joined us to fill up the 11-bed chalet over the years. Youngs, du Toits, Naudes, Crouch’s and Ogilvies.

Afriski Chalet Indoors Collage

The instructors were great to the kids. Bronwyn, Brad & Wynand were special faves!

Afriski Instructors - So Good to the Kids

Some years there was free snow, some years only the machine snow.

Afriski with Naudes & Lungelo 2014
Afriski 2010 SnapShots Collage

The older the kids got the more popular the pubs became!

Afriski blizzard
Afriski 2014 - All Grown Up

Afriski in Lesotho

In the featured pic above the heading, our ‘Estonia-type’ chalet is off to the far right. It’s the middle one in the picture below. It sleeps 11 people and is wonderfully comfy and warm as toast – very well insulated, double-glazed. Its called ‘St Moritz’ for some reason. It used to be called Estonia No.5. I’d have preferred a Sesotho name! Anyway, a rose by any other name . . . Maybe Mahae – ‘rural home’ or ‘rustic home’.

The new chalets they’re selling are smaller, modern, square, lots of glass. They’re OK. They call them ‘edgy,’ probly cheaper to transport and erect. But they’re nothing like our old “Estonian Wooden Chalet”!

Afriski new huts

We bought one week of winter skiing (plus three summer weeks – never used) and we have used it seven winters in the ten years we’ve owned the time. Now I would sell if I got a buyer. Someone could get a bargain for the last five years, especially if two families shared it.

~~oo0oo~~

Afriski 2014

*** publishing now, but a story I wrote six years ago after our annual winter trip to Lesotho – just ‘parking it’ for the archives! ***

The resort has taken another leap forward this year under PIN management since they got 51% share and with that, management control. Most noticeable was the parking, the roads and the walkways are neater and better paved. This makes getting around easier and safer. In an earlier year, Aitch once slipped on ice and got a big fright. The whole complex is tidy, too, where before material and equipment would be left lying around.

Much of the accommodation has been upgraded – notably the two big units which have been completely re-done and their outside staircases enclosed in glass (red arrows);

– two original triple-story accom units – the ‘PIN’ lodges –

Two completely new staff quarters have been built below the dams which frees up more accommodation next to the restaurant. I think its up to 240 beds. Up to 800 day visitors can arrive on a busy weekend day in school holidays!

The restaurant is terrific now. They have expanded to upstairs and down, take two sittings and were fully booked Sunday night. Professional chef, lovely grub.

– pisten bully –

Weather was two perfect days – midday saw ladies skiing in skimpy tops! One day was too windy for the skilift to run, so the slope people used the Pisten Bully to take people to the top instead. And three average days. With us was the Naude family Michelle and Craig and their three boys, and Tom’s mate Lungelo.

Not moving forward this year was the kids enthusiasm! Jess didn’t ski / snowboard at all – sore knee & wrist. Tom spent about half his snowboarding time doing other things, including sleeping! Three of the five boys who went with us were out on the slope early until they got kicked off when it closed – keen as mouseturd, like Jess & Tom used to be – so it was fun seeing their newby enthusiasm. Times change!

So come next January my two will have to convince me we should go – or we’ll hire out our week for the first time after eight years! Ons sal sien . . !

~~~oo0oo~~~