Raphael Neve, CEO of the Hermon site, got a taste last week of what he was looking forward to: snow, the attraction that draws crowds to the site. Dealing with nature, which has its own schedule that does not take into account business planning, is for him one of the main challenges in managing the site . “We are now in the middle of January and we don’t have any significant snow yet,” he says. “Most of the snow that fell at the end of last week has already melted. We also do not have an exact forecast of when the significant snow will fall that will open the site to surfing. This actually affects the entire general conduct of the company, because in the end all our investments and development depend on the snow.
This year, for example, we invested a lot in renovating the building, expanding the parking lots, we also have a new attraction. We invested several million shekels in preparation for the season, and we still don’t know what the season will look like. This is actually the risk in this business. We also do not receive assistance from any external party, everything is under the Mount Hermon company which belongs to the members of Moshav Neve ATB and operates the site. At the moment we are unable to say when the season will begin. It is very difficult to predict. According to the statistics of past years, usually a significant wave of Snow in mid-to-late January. We pray that it will indeed happen and hope for the best.”
Memories from 2014
The average number of visitors per season to the Hermon site, the only ski resort in Israel, is about 300,000. “I hope that this year we will not be below average, but if there is no significant snow, we will probably be below average. Last year, for example, the season for visitors opened on December 23. We are now almost a month later, and every day is significant. We are talking about an average of 7,000 people a day,” says Noah, 35, who has been working at the site for 12 years, of which two and a half years he serves as CEO.
Skiing, according to him, is the main attraction to the site. “As soon as there is skiing, there are visitors and the activity is much greater. Skiing is our significant source of income. In years when the situation is as we are experiencing now, at least for the time being, it is a very hard blow. I of course hope that it will turn around, but in our history we also know years Not good. For example, in 2014 there wasn’t a single day of surfing and it was a terrible year. We had to let go of employees and we couldn’t do anything, because we were stuck with cash flows. In this section, we are very conservative and careful to protect ourselves even in difficult years.”
In the meantime, go out on the Hermon site in a sale until the next snow: with an online purchase of a cable car ticket + an attraction costing NIS 86, a second attraction will be given free of charge (extreme sleds / Sky Rider virtual reality).
price list price
Some examples of prices for the upcoming winter season: entrance to the site for a child (3-12) NIS 36, for an adult NIS 42; Entrance + cable car child or adult NIS 87; Surfing package without equipment (entrance + ski pass) child or adult – NIS 280; Surfing package with equipment for beginner skiers (school ski pass for intermediate ski and cable car) – NIS 315; surfing package with equipment for advanced skiers (ski pass for all cable cars) – NIS 415.
“They ask all the time why our prices are like that, but I think that relative to the other attractions in Israel, our prices are very reasonable,” says Neve.
“The prices are reasonable and, as mentioned, we also have no guarantee about what will happen that year. This is not the biblical zoo, for example, where you know what the visitors expect, what the annual planning is, plus or minus what the directions are. We don’t have that. If there is no winter, we are in a very difficult situation, and we have no assistance for any reason even in the years in which we lose. In Corona, when the whole country was infected, it also affected us. We received something minor and not the real compensation we should have received from the state. On the one hand, the state knows how to demand its royalties, on the other hand I am constantly forced to ask: come help us with the surrounding infrastructure, access roads, electricity, water, the elementary things that are here in the back. The roads here are narrow, with potholes. A large number of visitors come to the Golan in general during the winter season and the infrastructure is not suitable. My goal is for them to improve this place, the Golan is a national asset.”
How do you deal with traffic jams to the site during peak periods?
“One of the greatest blessings from the corona is that everything is computerized in advance with us. There is no more spontaneous arrival in Hermon. People take a day off especially during the week to come. Everything is organized and not like it was before, where everyone wants to come and the first to arrive are the ones who enjoy themselves. The traffic jams to the site itself have decreased significantly thanks to the reservations in advance. This significantly reduced the spontaneity of the people and created a balance between all the days of the week, which is much more convenient operationally and in general in all respects.”
Invest in the summer
When there is snow in Hermon, the owners of the nearby B&Bs also enjoy many visitors and the prices per night rise accordingly and sometimes even skyrocket. “I don’t deal with the issue of B&Bs, everyone charges what they charge, but it’s very simple: a matter of supply and demand like everywhere in Israel and the world. Even in Eilat, prices jump wonders during the summer. Wherever there is more traffic and a center of attraction, prices jump.” says Noah.
As mentioned, a new attraction awaits visitors arriving in the winter season: virtual reality in the Sky Rider facility while floating. Before boarding the familiar facility, wear VR glasses and watch a movie during the ride, which enhances the experience of levitation. “In recent years, we have been investing a lot of our efforts in the summer season,” says Noah. “In the winter there are the well-known attractions such as skiing, snow sleds, the cable car – everything works and is active. We are always looking for ways to add things that will also suit the winter and also give the additional option in the summer itself, which for us lasts nine months. We were in the US at an exhibition of attractions and we met with a company which produces a virtual reality on an existing facility, that is, on an existing attraction. We integrated virtual reality on the Sky Rider facility. It elevates the user experience like crazy. We introduced virtual reality in the summer and winter visitors will be exposed to it for the first time.”
The “Sky Raider” (Photo: Dvir Lehar)What else did you invest in?
“Ahead of the winter season, we renovated the main building, turning the office floor into a designed cafeteria complex with an option for private events. Also, we continue to plan a five-star spa hotel with 120 rooms to be built there. In winter, there is no doubt that such a hotel will naturally be full, but it is also will provide an answer to attracting visitors in the summer. Picture a pampering hotel located in the heart of Hermon.”
Not competing in Europe
Neve does not expect the Hermon site to be an alternative to a ski vacation abroad. “Most professional skiers come to us for a day or two to warm up. The professional majority fly abroad. This year, by the way, Europe is also suffering greatly from a lack of snow,” he says. “Beginner surfers come to learn with us. With us, it’s easier for them to become a bit more professional, to learn in a place where Hebrew is spoken. I’m not a competitor in Europe, I’m a medium site by definition. I say: come learn with us, refresh yourself, warm up your legs and then take off for everything A ski resort. It does not harm our livelihood. We greatly encourage this sport which has grown significantly over the years, people love it. Also, here in Israel, unlike in Europe, people are not used to seeing snow. That is why Hermon is also a place for family fun regardless of skiing “.
A simulated find in “Sky Raider” (photo: Hermon site)The Hermon site was opened on December 27, 1971. “Last winter, slightly late because of the corona virus, we started celebrating the site’s 50th anniversary,” says Noah. “A few weeks ago, we issued a postal authority stamp for the 50th anniversary, and in the next few days the editing of a book on the history of the site will be completed.”
Meanwhile, while waiting for the snow, Noah is already preparing for summer, which for him also means preparations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. “We all know the historical background of the Hermon in the Yom Kippur War, the occupation of the Hermon and the very tough battle that was there,” he says. “From the beginning of May, we are planning to do special tours, with an emphasis on the Yom Kippur War. We are currently examining the routes and will bring to these tours fighters who will tell stories and give background, people who lecture in the field. We know for sure that there is interest in this.”