First ski and toboggan lifts open in the Harz Mountains
The Harz Mountains start the winter sports season this weekend. At the same time as many ski resorts in the Alps, the first lifts are due to open in many places on Saturday. "We have around 40 centimetres of pure natural snow on the slopes," said Fabian Brockschmidt from the Wurmberg ski resort in Braunlage.
On Lower Saxony's highest mountain, the T-bar lift in the Hexenritt area is set to go into operation, said Brockschmidt. The toboggan run is also set to open there. According to Mayor Wolfgang Langer, lifts are also set to open further down in the Braunlage valley. "We have a fantastic winter landscape here and are prepared," said Brockschmidt.
However, he is not expecting too many visitors yet. The start of the season is so early this year that many people are probably still busy going to Christmas markets. "When have we ever had snow in November in the Harz Mountains?" To ensure that the white splendor does not immediately melt away again, unlike last year, snow cannons will also be running in the coming week to produce a covering layer.
Winter sports enthusiasts on the Wurmberg will not have to prepare for higher costs. "Our prices are the same as last year," said Brockschmidt.
The ski resorts on Matthias-Schmidt-Berg and Sonnenberg in Sankt Andreasberg are also starting the new season. The snow conditions are still rather average, the operators at Matthias-Schmidt-Berg announced on their website. The toboggan lifts in Hohegeiß and Torfhaus are also set to open at the weekend.
Cross-country skiers have been getting their money's worth since the middle of the week. The first trails have been prepared and more are in the pipeline, according to the national park administration. The German Weather Service is forecasting constant temperatures below zero degrees in the Harz Mountains for the weekend.
During their leisure time, many visitors are expected to enjoy the opening of the seasons in the Harz Mountains. With the arrival of winter, tourism activities, such as skiing and tobogganing, become more popular, making use of the natural snow and the prepared trails.
Source: www.dpa.com
