"An army on snowshoes? It's not in the Alps, but Lebanon"

An army on snowshoes? It's not in the Alps, but Lebanon.ý

The Monitor's Beirut correspondent finds action of the wintry variety
in the Middle East.ý

By Nicholas Blanford

from the March 24, 2009 edition

With breath fogging the cold night air, about 300 competitors slid on
skis or crunched in ýsnowshoes over frozen ground toward the starting
line. A brass band thumped out martial tunes ýas the race across these
snowy mountains was about to begin.ý

This was no Alpine ski competition, but the first "Raid des Cedres"ý
along a course linking two cedar tree reserves in Lebanon - a nation
known more for its hot ýpolitics than for its winter sports.ý

But Lebanon has an enviable terrain of warm Mediterranean coastlines
and snow-capped ýmountains. And the Lebanese Army's Rangers battalion,
inspired by the Swiss Army's "Patrouille ýdes Glaciers" ski running
race in the Alps, decided it was high time to test their winter skills
on ýmountains at home that boast the Middle East's best ski slopes.ý

On Saturday, the race participants assembled at The Cedars, a ski
resort beside a reserve of ýLebanon's oldest cedar trees, and the
finishing point for the race. I and my Lebanese and German ýteam
members - Youssef Chaitani and Daniel Neuwirth - were among 90
civilians who came to ýrace alongside about 200 soldiers. Hinting at
my team's collective lack of fitness, if not our ýaspirations, we
called ourselves "The Cardiac Arrests."ý

In the afternoon, we were handed our final instructions from Col.
Chamel Roukhoz, the ranger's ýcommander. There was to be no sleep for
us that night. At 2 a.m. Sunday, an Army bus carried us ýat breakneck
speed along the icy roads to the starting point beside the Tannourine
cedar reserve.ý

ý"Now I know why the Army included proof of life insurance on the
application form," quipped ýone racer as the bus slewed around another
hairpin bend.ý

On arrival, the teams donned skis and snowshoes and gratefully
accepted cups of hot sweet tea.ý

At an altitude of almost 6,000 feet, the night sky was awash with
stars, like a handful of ýcarelessly flung silver flakes. It looked
like we would be fortunate with the weather. A week ýearlier, Youssef
and I were forced to abandon a pre-race mountain hike due to blizzard
ýconditions.ý

The Raid des Cedres consisted of two categories: an 18.6-mile route
for the skiers and a 12-mile ýcourse for snowshoers. As the race was
of military origin, the emphasis was on teamwork rather ýthan
individual prowess.ý

Participants formed teams of three, with members required to pass
through checkpoints along the ýroute at the same time. Each team,
therefore, was as fast as its slowest member. We were among ýthe
snowshoers - and looking at the whip-lean athletes we were up against,
we felt doomed.ý

At 4 a.m. a burst of fireworks lit up the night - and the racers were
off. Most wore headlamps to ýlight the way, making us look like an
army of glowworms as we climbed up a progressively steep ývalley.ý

The freezing tempratures ensured the snow was firm under foot, but the
steep slopes and thin air ýsoon had us dripping sweat and gasping for
breath. The first hill, the longest of the course with ýan ascent of
almost 1,500 feet, was followed by more strength-sapping hills. Even
the steep ýdescents were hard for those with snowshoes. We found it
easier to slide down on our rears, ýtobogan-style, rather than
gingerly inch our way down by foot.ý

A half hour into the race, the sky to the east began to lighten. Snowy
mountain tops turned pink ýas the dawn sun rose into a deep blue sky.ý
Much of the course followed a mountain crest that half encircled The
Cedars like a vast natural ýamphitheater.ý

Living up to 2,000 years, cedars once covered much of Lebanon's
mountains. Highly prized in ýthe ancient world for their scented wood,
the cedar forests were steadily felled over the centuries ýso that
only a few patches of the stately trees continue to survive.ý

At 8,000 feet, the thin air was crystal clear. The cedar reserve at
our destination, 2,000 feet below ýus, was a tiny patch of dark green
set against the snow. To the east, the Qadisha Valley, known ýas the
Holy Valley by Lebanon's Maronite Catholics and home to hidden
monasteries, cut a deep, ýax stroke gash through the limestone
landscape.ý

At 8,800 feet, the highest point on the snowshoe leg of the race, an
icy wind howled across the ýpeaks, whipping up knee-high snowdrifts.
From here, the snowshoers descended to The Cedars ýwhile the skiers
continued with their longer route.ý

By mid morning, most of the teams had arrived, many of us with
blistered feet and aching ýmuscles.ý

Christian Francis, a Lebanese-Austrian and experienced skier who
helped the Army delineate the ýroute, was the first skier to finish.ý

He says the race will become an annual event and hopes that it will
earn Lebanon a place on the ýinternational ski-running championship
circuit.ý

So how did team "Cardiac Arrests" do? We didn't come last. Let's just
leave it at that.ý
ý
Find this article at: ý
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0324/p07s04-wome.html ý

There is actually some decent skiing on the Israeli side of Mt.
Hebron.

On Mar 24, 6:50*am, mike wrote:
An army on snowshoes? It's not in the Alps, but Lebanon.ý

The Monitor's Beirut correspondent finds action of the wintry variety
in the Middle East.ý

By Nicholas Blanford

from the March 24, 2009 edition

With breath fogging the cold night air, about 300 competitors slid on
skis or crunched in ýsnowshoes over frozen ground toward the starting
line. A brass band thumped out martial tunes ýas the race across these
snowy mountains was about to begin.ý

This was no Alpine ski competition, but the first "Raid des Cedres"ý
along a course linking two cedar tree reserves in Lebanon - a nation
known more for its hot ýpolitics than for its winter sports.ý

But Lebanon has an enviable terrain of warm Mediterranean coastlines
and snow-capped ýmountains. And the Lebanese Army's Rangers battalion,
inspired by the Swiss Army's "Patrouille ýdes Glaciers" ski running
race in the Alps, decided it was high time to test their winter skills
on ýmountains at home that boast the Middle East's best ski slopes.ý

On Saturday, the race participants assembled at The Cedars, a ski
resort beside a reserve of ýLebanon's oldest cedar trees, and the
finishing point for the race. I and my Lebanese and German ýteam
members - Youssef Chaitani and Daniel Neuwirth - were among 90
civilians who came to ýrace alongside about 200 soldiers. Hinting at
my team's collective lack of fitness, if not our ýaspirations, we
called ourselves "The Cardiac Arrests."ý

In the afternoon, we were handed our final instructions from Col.
Chamel Roukhoz, the ranger's ýcommander. There was to be no sleep for
us that night. At 2 a.m. Sunday, an Army bus carried us ýat breakneck
speed along the icy roads to the starting point beside the Tannourine
cedar reserve.ý

ý"Now I know why the Army included proof of life insurance on the
application form," quipped ýone racer as the bus slewed around another
hairpin bend.ý

On arrival, the teams donned skis and snowshoes and gratefully
accepted cups of hot sweet tea.ý

At an altitude of almost 6,000 feet, the night sky was awash with
stars, like a handful of ýcarelessly flung silver flakes. It looked
like we would be fortunate with the weather. A week ýearlier, Youssef
and I were forced to abandon a pre-race mountain hike due to blizzard
ýconditions.ý

The Raid des Cedres consisted of two categories: an 18.6-mile route
for the skiers and a 12-mile ýcourse for snowshoers. As the race was
of military origin, the emphasis was on teamwork rather ýthan
individual prowess.ý

Participants formed teams of three, with members required to pass
through checkpoints along the ýroute at the same time. Each team,
therefore, was as fast as its slowest member. We were among ýthe
snowshoers - and looking at the whip-lean athletes we were up against,
we felt doomed.ý

At 4 a.m. a burst of fireworks lit up the night - and the racers were
off. Most wore headlamps to ýlight the way, making us look like an
army of glowworms as we climbed up a progressively steep ývalley.ý

The freezing tempratures ensured the snow was firm under foot, but the
steep slopes and thin air ýsoon had us dripping sweat and gasping for
breath. The first hill, the longest of the course with ýan ascent of
almost 1,500 feet, was followed by more strength-sapping hills. Even
the steep ýdescents were hard for those with snowshoes. We found it
easier to slide down on our rears, ýtobogan-style, rather than
gingerly inch our way down by foot.ý

A half hour into the race, the sky to the east began to lighten. Snowy
mountain tops turned pink ýas the dawn sun rose into a deep blue sky.ý
Much of the course followed a mountain crest that half encircled The
Cedars like a vast natural ýamphitheater.ý

Living up to 2,000 years, cedars once covered much of Lebanon's
mountains. Highly prized in ýthe ancient world for their scented wood,
the cedar forests were steadily felled over the centuries ýso that
only a few patches of the stately trees continue to survive.ý

At 8,000 feet, the thin air was crystal clear. The cedar reserve at
our destination, 2,000 feet below ýus, was a tiny patch of dark green
set against the snow. To the east, the Qadisha Valley, known ýas the
Holy Valley by Lebanon's Maronite Catholics and home to hidden
monasteries, cut a deep, ýax stroke gash through the limestone
landscape.ý

At 8,800 feet, the highest point on the snowshoe leg of the race, an
icy wind howled across the ýpeaks, whipping up knee-high snowdrifts.
From here, the snowshoers descended to The Cedars ýwhile the skiers
continued with their longer route.ý

By mid morning, most of the teams had arrived, many of us with
blistered feet and aching ýmuscles.ý

Christian Francis, a Lebanese-Austrian and experienced skier who
helped the Army delineate the ýroute, was the first skier to finish.ý

He says the race will become an annual event and hopes that it will
earn Lebanon a place on the ýinternational ski-running championship
circuit.ý

So how did team "Cardiac Arrests" do? We didn't come last. Let's just
leave it at that.ý
* ý
Find this article at: ýhttp://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0324/p07s04-wome.html*ý