AUGUST

TIFFINDELL, SOUTH AFRICA

Tiffindell, South Africa's only ski and snowboarding resort, opened in 1993 near Rhodes, on the remote southern slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains.

But the resort closed in 2010 after falling into disrepair during a legal battle between the owner and property developers. In July, Lew Campbell, who owns an artificial ski-training slope in Johannesburg, bought Tiffindell at auction for about $730,000.

He's invested another $560,000 in building upgrades, snowmaking machines and ski equipment. The 192-bed resort reopens year-round in January 2013.

It has snow from June to August, but let's be honest: It will never compete with the big leagues. Skiers can expect sunny and dry winter days, and apres-ski aficionados bored with Aspen's bourbon milkshakes may get a kick out of Tiffindell's boerwors, a South African spiced sausage. (tiffindell.co.za)