It’s early morning in the snow-topped mountain town of Oukaïmeden and business is decidedly slow. It seems Celia, my skiing buddy, and I are a little late for a winter sports break in Morocco. Today there’s more sun than snow, so we’ve taken the chairlift – Africa’s highest – to the 10,688ft peak of Jebel Attar to recce the runs.
So far we appear to be the only potential skiers. A couple of Moroccan teenage girls in platform boots teeter off the lift for a gleeful photo op, dancing around on patches of ice to the tunes on their mobiles before hopping back on the chair for the panoramic ride down. We follow them, scanning the slopes for a descent with some decent snow cover. The pistes are empty, bar one snowboarder sitting below the lift.
(020 7183 6401;lawrenceofmorocco.com) offers tailormade trips. A week’s holiday combining four nights at Les Deux Tours (les-deux-tours.com) in Marrakech with three at Chez Juju (hotelchezjuju.com) in Oukaïmeden costs from £790 per person, based on two sharing, including breakfast, flights and all transfers. Skiing in Morocco is possible from late November to early March, with January and February the most snow-sure months.
More alternative ski spots
Lebanon − some 28 miles from Beirut, Faraya Mzaar is the best equipped of the country’s sprinkling of ski resorts, with 50 miles of runs and a good party atmosphere (skileb.com).
India − Gulmarg is a high altitude Himalayan resort that’s already creating a buzz among adventurous skiers. Expect thin air, excellent powder and almost limitless off-piste runs (industours.co.uk).
Japan − three hours from Tokyo, Hakuba is a former Winter Olympic Games resort high in the Japanese Alps. Get ready for hot springs and some of the world’s best powder (insidejapantours.com).
Chile − snow junkies know: winter in the Alps, summer in the Andes. Head for Valle Nevado, a two-hour drive from Santiago (journeylatinamerica.co.uk).
New Zealand − offers excellent snow and a lively social scene centred around Queenstown (newzealandski.co.nz).
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