We were all ready for snow in Jerusalem a couple of weeks back, but there was none in the end. Now snow is back in the weather for Friday, and I’ve already seen a few flurries today.
But, after a week in Toronto, where we just were for a family wedding, I’ve seen more snow than the average Israeli will experience in a lifetime. And it’s given me a business idea (since I really can’t stand cold weather, I offer it up here at no cost to any budding entrepreneurs).
Forget about skiing on the Hermon. Welcome to “snow-tubing.”
Snow-tubing is like one of those water slides where you zip down in a big inflatable inner tube…except that it’s in the snow.
We took a few hours to enjoy this hi-tech update of tobogganing during our Canada trip and had a blast. The white stuff was coming down pretty hard the day we went – a real treat for the kids who grew up in Israel and have never really experienced serious snow.
The thing that’s great about snow-tubing is that it’s so simple. All you need is a big hill (ours was essentially a ten story drop) and some tubes. The “chair lift” is just a rope with a hook that connects to the handles on the tube. Once you get to the top, you can slide down individually, or link the handles to go down up to five as a time (see the picture).
The ride is fast – no more than 20-30 seconds and there’s no telling which way you might spin (it’s nice to face front so you can see where you’re going, but you get a lot more snow in your eyes that way). The wind can be intense, too – I thought my cap was secure but it blew off and had to be retrieved by a somewhat surly snow staffer.
Snow-tubing is safer than skiing (no real chance of breaking a leg) and requires no training. There’s only one downside to bringing this “sport” to Israel. In Canada, there was a single queue and everyone waited their turn nicely. After a few visits to various water parks in Israel, it’s hard for me to imagine Israelis not attempting to cut in line or to return after a long hot chocolate break to announce “I was after her.” You try arguing with an Israeli teenager 0r – even scarier – a soldier on break, when there’s ample material to fashion a truly injurious round of snowballs!
Fighting for Israel's truth
We cover what makes life in Israel so special — it's people. A non-profit organization, ISRAEL21c's team of journalists are committed to telling stories that humanize Israelis and show their positive impact on our world. You can bring these stories to life by making a donation of $6/month.
