In the months following the capture of the Hermon, Aryeh Zur of Beersheva formally established the Golan Ski Club

Title: Skiing on Sacred Snow

Location: Mt. Hermon, Golan Heights

Document: Newspaper Collage

Time: 1967–1972

“Sidonians called Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.” 

— Devarim 3:9.

“And in another passage it states, ‘Until Mount Sion which is Hermon’. So the mountain had four names [Hermon, Sirion, Senir, Sion]. Why is this written? To extol the praise of Eretz Yisrael, that four neighboring kingdoms all took pride in this mountain, with each one claiming that it be named for them. Senir — This is snow in Ashkenaz and in the language of Canaan.” 

–Rashi ibid.

Just a three-hour drive from Yerushalayim, and only six hours from the 110-degree weather in Eilat, stands “the eyes of the nation,” as the imposing summit of Mt. Hermon is referred to in Israel in a nod to its strategic importance. Wedged between the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, it remains divided, desired, and contested territory, as it has been for millennia. Its towering height makes it the only location in Israel to experience regular, significant snowfall every winter, and it features Israel’s only successful skiing operation on its long slopes.

Two days after the guns fell silent following the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israeli Air Force Commander Motti Hod obtained authorization from Defense Minister Moshe Dayan to seize control of one of the peaks of Mount Hermon, in order to establish a strategically placed observation post for the IDF to overlook the Damascus region. Colonel Pinchas Noi, the commanding officer of the 13th Golani Battalion, and his radio operator landed by helicopter on the southern peak of the mountain and planted the Israeli flag. Shortly thereafter the IDF observation post was operational, and the Har Chermon military base emerged as a crucial asset in intelligence gathering from Syria and Lebanon.

On the first day of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Syrian commandos overran the subterranean post. Many Israeli soldiers and intelligence officials fell in the battle, and 31 were taken into Syrian captivity. Among the captives were senior intelligence officers, some of whom were tortured into divulging sensitive intelligence information that severely compromised Israeli security. Syrian paratroopers also hauled off large quantities of intelligence documents and equipment, listening devices, and super sensitive intelligence gathering technology.

Tens of IDF soldiers were killed in the ensuing bloody battle to retake the Hermon, which was finally successful on October 22. The next decades saw the development of the security and military apparatus atop the peak; the training of the army’s elite alpine unit, trained in skiing and operating in winter conditions; and an increasingly sophisticated network of intelligence operations at several locations on the summit of the mountain.

IN the months following the capture of the Hermon, Aryeh Zur of Beersheva formally established the Golan Ski Club at a meeting held at the Sheraton Tel Aviv. By the start of 1968, the club had 200 members, most of them immigrants from Central Europe who had grown up skiing in their native homes. A few of the older ones had once been members of the Palestine Ski Club, which was founded in 1937 by Central European immigrants who had brought their skis with them, mainly for nostalgic purposes. The club organized ski tours to the Cedars Ski Resort of Lebanon and quickly grew in popularity, attracting members from other ski clubs and countries. The club’s final excursion to Lebanon was in 1942.

The Golan Ski Club held its initial ski excursion to the Hermon in February 1968, with eight adventurous members making the trek. They reported back that the conditions were ripe for skiing, with plenty of snow, but bemoaned the lack of any proper facilities, mainly shelter and roads to reach their preferred ski trail at 1,600 meters altitude.

They began lobbying Israeli bureaucrats, telling of the incredible economic opportunities that could come along with the development of “Israel’s Alps.” The responses were mostly positive, but some bordered on the comedic, with one suggesting building hotels with swimming pools that could freeze in winter for ice skating.

By the end of the year, however, the commercial ski operation seemed ready to commence. The Davar newspaper reported on December 23, 1968:

“The skiing facilities on Hermon will be activated at the earliest opportunity. Currently waiting for a sufficient accumulation of snow at the site. The Israel Nature & Parks Authority will activate the ski operation as soon as it’s feasible in winter conditions to do so, with enough snow to enable skiing….”

In February of 1969, Israel’s first ski mountain was opened to the public. The premier season was marred by problems, including the lack of Egged buses that could make the journey up the mountains without slipping. Travelers complained about being dropped off at Majdal Shams, the Druze town on the Hermon foothills, and then having to trek in the rain and slush up the mountain until they reached the designated ski area. That issue was solved the following year with the purchase of new truck-like vehicles with snow tires that could transfer passengers from the bus up the mountain.

The first ski lift opened for the 1972 season and the Mt. Hermon ski resort very rapidly became a popular winter destination for Israelis and tourists. Israelis could now ski, snowboard, and sled locally, and both amateurs and professionals flocked to the expanding resort. The Hermon eventually included five separate ski lifts and could accommodate approximately 300,000 visitors during the ski season. However, due to its location in the Middle East climate zone, the skiing season is generally quite short, sometimes just ten to 15 days, though it could extend to as long as three months during a snowy winter.

In 1972, the Israeli government transferred control of the skiing operation to the families of the newly established Neve Ativ alpine moshav on the slopes of Mount Hermon. The Neve Ativ residents continue to operate the site today. Although there are summer activities, tourists, and other sports year-round, the short winter skiing season generates the most visitors and income for the region. Most of the ski instructors come from Neve Ativ and Majdal Shams. The IDF alpine unit also patrols the area, often on skis.

Israelis have slowly embraced the sport on a professional level, with Israeli athletes qualifying in the Alpine skiing category during the last five Winter Olympics. In the long history of the Jewish people, the Mount Hermon ski resort may be the first instance where Jews heading downhill might not be a bad thing.

Aside from the mountain’s skiing and military facilities, the views alone are breathtaking and many ride to the peak in order to gaze above the clouds. On a clear day, one can simultaneously view deep into Syria toward Damascus, the mountains of Lebanon, and across the Golan and Galilee in northern Israel.

Snow Days at the Ski Resort

One of the most distinctive features of the Israeli skiing experience is that it closes when it snows. This seeming paradox is due to the uniqueness of a heavy snow mountainous area in the midst of a mild Mediterranean climate region. Snow on the road leading up the Hermon generates hazardous driving conditions, near-zero visibility, and dangerous roads on the approaches to the ski resort. As a result, skiing has historically only been feasible when the snow settles and the weather improves.

Syrian Ski, Seriously?

In December 2005 the Syrian government unveiled a $15 billion project to construct a massive ski resort on the Syrian — and much higher — side of Mt Hermon. The planned 15-year project was a joint initiative of Syrian, Kuwaiti, and Saudi investors, and was to include “hotels, shopping centers, skiing, and other sports facilities reachable by cable car.” The projected ski resort was never constructed, as the Syrian government instead engaged in a far more costly civil war over the ensuing years. With Israel’s recent occupation of the Syrian side of the Hermon, perhaps these lapsed plans for the massive ski resort can finally come to fruition.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1044)