Is there such a thing as too much snow? Tiffindell ski resort in the Eastern Cape has experienced just such a problem after four days of crippling snowfalls, the heaviest for 70 years.

SLEEPING IN BAR NIGHTMARE
Guests were forced to sleep in the bar after nearly 35cms of snow forced the entire area to close. With 180 guests and 100 staff confined to the resort on the Lesotho border from Thursday to Tuesday, temperatures indoors reached boiling point, transforming it into a "war zone".

Because of the daytrippers and guests who were stranded at the resort, as well as guests who had arrived to book in, the resort was holding 180 people whereas it was only designed to hold 130. "We had no electricity or communication - everyone was very anxious."

STAFF ABUSED AND RATIONS INTRODUCED
Managing director Ivan van Eck said staff had been "psychologically abused" by aggressive guests who could not handle being confined as time dragged on.

"Guests simply did not understand the extreme nature of the situation. It has been an absolute nightmare. There were people at the base camps demanding to come up to the resort because they didn't want to miss all the snow - they didn't realise that their lives could have been on the line. If this happened in Europe, the whole resort would have just been shut down."

He said although the children could build igloos and snowmen, after that it had been very difficult to occupy them. And instead of eating three-course meals, the guests had to eat staple foods because of the rations.

Worn out and tired, the staff had worked through the nights trying to clear roads and walkways leading up to and out of the resort, organising convoys down the mountains and explaining to guests how to negotiate the snow. Many people did not even know how to operate their 4x4 vehicles, while others were afraid to leave the resort.

ONE METRE DRIFT SCARE
About 35cm of snow had fallen in total. "But the wind can blow the snow into metre-high walls and be very dangerous to motorists, people on foot and animals."

He described the four-day snowfall as "devastating" because the amount of snow just compounded. "It does not even make for good skiing, because the snow on the slopes needs to be groomed for comfortable skiing. This time of year is usually our busiest and the last weekend in July is our snow festival weekend - but I guess we had that last weekend."

By Friday the ski lifts were operating and there would be benefits for the resort. "The amount of snow on the mountain will prolong our season into the middle of October and we will be able to make up our losses with the number of guests during that time." The snow disaster has also highlighted to the management that the resort needed to be bigger. "We already have plans to expand and if this had to happen in three years' time, we would have the machinery and resources to deal with it far better." The resort has now been restocked.

Article from Cape Argus newspaper.

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