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The Cedars Ski Resort

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This is a great resort for nature lovers and an ideal get-away destination. The Cedars are the ancient trees forming a forest in the heart of the village and a cedar tree is also found on the Lebanese flag. The Cedars resort is located in the North of Lebanon. Skiers came to the resort as early as 1920, and have been returning there ever since. The first lift was installed by the government in 1953.

Cedars ski resort Lebanon

Since located at high altitude (2000m), the Cedars resort has a slightly longer season than the others, sometimes beginning early November and often lasting until late April. The Cedars is very different. The resort is beautiful and the lifts are in a huge basin. Several chairlifts could take you to the very top of the mountain for off-piste skiing or down-hill thrills. For beginners, the Cedars is paradise, offering several snow-wire lifts on gently slopes. An alternative suggestion is to practice cross-country skiing which is unmatched at the Cedars, mainly because of the charming surroundings and nature. Skidoo trips are also a common practice at the resort.

We recommend seeing this resort, because of the big variety of après-ski activities. In addition to the Cedars forest, there are numerous sites of interest in the area. Bcharreh, a neighboring village of the Cedars, is the birthplace and resting place of Gibran Khalil Gibran, Lebanon's most famous poet, artist and novelist. The Gibran museum houses his paintings, drawings and personal effects. There is a number of Maronite churches and monasteries scattered throughout the mystic Kadisha valley.
 
In summer 2005, The Cedars resort installed 3 new chairlifts to replace the old T-bars and extend the ski runs. 15 million US Dollars have lately been invested to upgrade the facilities and expand the resort to higher standard of in terms of accommodation, equipment, safety, and services.
 
A Gondola for 6 persons will carry skiers and visitors from the parking level at 2095m to the highest accessible summet of 2870m, however there's no indication yet of when will this be completed. To comply with international regulations, a Refuge with a capacity of 400 persons will also be built at the top of the Gondola. Its terrace will be equipped with telescopes capable of expanding your sights till the island of Cyprus.

Cedars ski lifts Lebanon

Following the gondola project, a new hotel accessible from the ski slopes will be operational to welcome guests and was due to be ready for the 2009 Asian Ski Championship taking place in Lebanon, but it was cancelled because of the situation. A new road is currently under construction to avoid the small roads of Bcharreh village and save around 15 to 20 minutes to reach the slopes.
 
Resort Management: Les Téléskis des Cèdres
 

EN FRANCAIS
 
Si les amateurs de ski tendance frime et après-ski sont plutôt accrocs de Faraya-Mzaar (maintenant rebaptisé Mzaar),  les fans du ski nature dans un cadre plus sauvage affectioneront davantage la station emblêmatique à la fois au pied du plus haut sommet du Liban et autour de la fameuse Forêt des Cèdres.

Quinze millions de dollars vont être investis pour réaliser le rêve des amateurs de ski et des habitants de la région des Cèdres. Les Cèdres ont abrité la première école de ski au Liban. Le premier remonte-pente a été construit en 1953. Mais la guerre y a arrêté tout développement. Cette année, trois nouveaux télésièges de quatre places emmèneront les skieurs vers les cimes. Deux ont été construits en parallèle aux vieux téléskis en T et le troisième va jusqu'à 2850 m. À partir de là, des remonte-pentes devraient voir le jour, dans les années à venir.
 
À l'assaut du plus haut sommet  Des télécabines (gondola) à six personnes transporteront skieurs et randonneurs du départ des pistes (2095 m) vers un deuxième sommet, à 2870 m. Pour obéir aux normes internationales, un refuge pouvant accueillir 400 personnes y sera érigé. Sur ses terrasses, des télescopes permettront de voir jusqu'à Chypre. Mécanos et ingénieurs ont suivi des stages à l'étranger et une équipe est sur place pour former les pisteurs, les conducteurs de dameuse. Toutefois la date de finition n'a pas été communiquée.
 
Hôtel et routes  Au pied des pistes, un nouvel hôtel verra le jour. Il devrait être fonctionnel avant 2009, année où le Liban accueillera les Championnats d'Asie de ski, mais ceci a été reporté. Une nouvelle route qui évite les petits villages et les routes sinueuses autour de Bcharré est en construction. Elle permettra d'économiser 15 à 20 min de trajet.