Skiing at Mzaar Kfardebian: The Complete Guide

Mzaar is the largest ski resort in Lebanon and, on a good day in February, one of the more surprising places to ski anywhere. You're at 2,400 metres looking across the Bekaa Valley in one direction and, when the air is clear, the Mediterranean in the other. It's an hour and a quarter from Beirut.

We live minutes from the lifts. Here's what actually matters.

The season

Mzaar typically opens in mid-December and runs to early April, entirely dependent on snowfall. February is the reliable month, the base is deepest, the runs hold their condition, and the weather settles. December is a gamble; some years it's excellent by Christmas, other years the lower lifts don't open until January.

Snowmaking covers part of the terrain, which protects the season's edges but doesn't rescue a bad year.

Lift hours

Weekdays    8:00 – 15:15
Weekends    8:00 – 15:45

That afternoon close is earlier than most European resorts, and it catches people out. Plan to be on your last run by 14:45. The lifts genuinely stop.

The parking exit at 15:00 is the worst fifteen minutes of the day. If you can stay for a drink and leave at 16:30 instead, do.

Passes

Mzaar runs a card system. Buy online in advance, the ticket window queue on a Saturday morning can cost you the first hour of skiing, which on a short day matters. Day passes, multi-day and season passes are all available. Weekends and holidays cost more than midweek.

If you're skiing three days or more in a season, run the numbers on a season pass before you buy singles.

Where to rent

Six shops, and prices vary more than you'd expect for the same gear. Ask two before you commit.

Renting at the Mzaar parking means you carry gear about thirty metres. Renting at the Faraya roundabout is usually cheaper but means loading skis into the car and finding a parking spot up top with them. On a busy Saturday, the parking-side shop wins.

The terrain

The runs split roughly into a third beginner, a bit under half intermediate, and the remainder advanced. There are no true black runs in the European sense, which is worth knowing if you're coming from the Alps, Mzaar is a genuinely good intermediate mountain rather than a challenging one.

For beginners, that's the point. The proportion of gentle terrain is high, the ski school is established, and there's space to make mistakes.

Eating and après

La Jonction sits by the slopes and does the job mid-day. For after, ODIN Mzaar is the main event, cocktails, live music, and it runs late. L'APRÈS is smaller and quieter. Both fill up on Saturdays.

If you want a proper meal rather than a party, Chez Cheker in Kfardebian does rustic Lebanese around big fireplaces and is open all year, which is rarer up here than you'd think.

The honest verdict

Mzaar is not the Alps. The lifts are older, the day is shorter, and the season is four months at best. Some of the equipment shows its age.

But it's an hour from a capital city, the snow in February is real, and there is genuinely nowhere else in the region where you can ski a proper mountain in the morning and be at sea level by dinner. On the right day it's excellent, and the right days are more common than sceptics expect.