Israelis rejoiced on Sunday as the Mount Hermon ski resort opened its doors to guests for the first time this winter season, welcoming around 1,500 visitors. The country has seen its fair share of rainy, blustery weather this winter, and after the most recent storm last week, one meter (3.3 ft.) of snow piled up at the lower ski lift, while 1.5 meters (nearly 5 ft.) accumulated at the upper lift. One of the visitors was Shoshi Fogel from Kfar Saba, who took a one-day vacation and brought her two children up to the Hermon. "It was fun," she said. "I promised the kids that we would come to the Hermon and I kept my word. All this white is good for the soul." Not everyone was so happy, though. Yehuda Galain from Jerusalem, who drove several hours to the mountain, said: "I've skied in lots of places around the world and the conditions on the Hermon were all right, aside from the fog, which didn't allow for good skiing because I simply couldn't see in front of me and I had to be extremely careful. It's a shame, because I came a long way and I'm disappointed." Resort management also expressed disappointment, at the number of visitors. "The heavy fog in the entire area made it difficult for those who wanted to come visit us," explained resort manager Shaul Ohana. "Everything was ready. We worked all night preparing the ski ranges and other services, but it became apparent this morning that the ski experience would be significantly hindered due to the heavy fog." In addition, temperatures Sunday reached 6-7 degrees (43-45 Fahrenheit), which threatened to melt the considerable amount of snow that had accumulated. "We hope the fog lifts and it remains cold, making it possible to enjoy skiing for the next two weeks at least, or maybe three," Ohana said. Monday's forecast called for partly cloudy skies with a possibility of light rain in northern Israel, without any significant change in temperature. In the center and south of the country, skies will be clear and partly cloudy. In the evening and night, the rain in the north will gradually intensify. On Tuesday temperatures are expected to drop and it is expected to snow on Mount Hermon.
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