Afri-Ski

Djibouti's port, through which a whopping 90% of all Ethiopian goods pass, is the country's key economic driver, and while the rail line's closure wasn't permanent, instability in Ethiopia has hampered the reliant Djibouti economy to the tune of an estimated $1.7 billion in lost commerce.

It's been a tough few years for the ski industry, and Lesotho's Afriski Mountain Resort proved that while unique in terms of its status as one of two resorts in Southern Africa, it wasn't an exception to the struggles.

Rather than go under when South African border closures led to a 90% drop in visitors, the resort adapted, this year offering incentives and reduced rates to get locals on the hill, some for the very first time, while also finding creative renovation projects to keep its local staff employed.

Chameleons, by their very nature, are hard to spot.

... uh, process?

I was involved with, uh, Wessel Bosman at Afriski, and we built, uh, the first two chalets.

Uh, we brought them from Estonia.

And-

No way.

[laughs]

Um, I mean, you don't learn to ski at Afriski.

It's, it's ba- it's basically a slab of ice-

Ski in Africa.

Afriski Mountain Resort, it couldn't be called anything else, sits at 3,222 meters up in the Maluti Mountains and is one of only a couple of ski resorts in all of sub-Saharan Africa.

The ski season runs through the Southern Hemisphere winter, so roughly June to August, when temperatures drop below freezing and a mix of natural and man-made snow keeps the slopes skiable.

It is actually a year-round spot though, so come summer it becomes a mecca for mountain biking, hiking, trail running, and fly fishing.