PICS: Beautiful Lesotho covered in snow

People have taken to social media to share the beauty that is Lesotho after experiencing snowfall last night.

The snowfall was confirmed by the South African Weather Service, which said it was expected to melt as the country gets warmer.

“Late morning satellite image for 15 April 2020. Snow visible over the mountains in Lesotho, which is expected to melt as it gets warmer later in the day. Most of the rain has cleared over the country, with some low clouds observed over the central and eastern parts,” it said.

The country remains the only southern African nation without a confirmed case of coronavirus. It is also on lockdown due to fears that Covid-19 could be imported from other countries, especially South Africa, which surrounds Lesotho.

Below are some of the pictures shared on social media:

The mountain kingdom y'all #Lesotho #wednesdaywisdom #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/9I8IuRhlo5

— Lolo (@LollyRatsiu) April 15, 2020

Since 2002, Afriski in northeastern Lesotho has also become a hub for the country’s young winter sports enthusiasts to hone their skills and maybe one day compete for gold at the Winter Olympics.

“Afriski was always a unique option as a destination,” said resort snowmaker Martin Schultz, 35, who comes from South African surfing hub Jeffreys Bay but swapped his surfboard for a snowboard to take to the slopes.

Schultz is responsible for maintaining the quality and consistency of the artificial snow on the slopes, used by the 12,000 visitors who travel to the resort in the Maluti Mountains every season.

“We use high-pressure air, high-pressure water and a certain temperature and humidity,” he said of the resort’s state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment used when snow is not falling naturally.

Afriski’s main kilometre-long piste is a strip of brilliant white snow between brown grassy ridges and dotted with artificial snowmakers, although, on average, its three slopes are covered with natural snow for several weeks a year.

Despite its small size and relatively limited facilities, Afriski still sees itself as a destination firmly on the global winter sports circuit.

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Additional reporting, AFP Relaxnews)

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