“French and Swiss Alps Boast Best Season Start Since 2005, Belgian Resorts Anticipate a White Weekend”
As winter tightens its grip, ski enthusiasts in Belgium are gearing up for an exciting season with unexpected early snowfall.
While the French and Swiss Alps revel in their best seasonal start since 2005, Belgians are eager to hit the slopes closer to home, with ski resorts making preparations for an earlier-than-anticipated opening.
The picturesque Fagnard plateau at Signal de Botrange, Belgium’s highest point, is adorned with a beautiful blanket of snow.
However, Alexandre Féchir, Head of Ski Hire at Signal de Botrange, remains cautiously optimistic about opening the runs this weekend.
He notes that despite the ideal conditions for wintry walks, the ground is still too warm in many areas, making cross-country skiing challenging.
Féchir expressed, “It’s still early in the season. A small layer has fallen, but many areas are still too soft. If there’s no more snow, it’s going to be difficult this weekend.”
On a brighter note, Ovifat in Waimes, one of Belgium’s largest ski areas, equipped with snow cannons, plans to open several runs this weekend, except for snowboarding, which is temporarily banned.
Pierre Heinen, the spokesperson for Ovifat, shared the optimism, stating, “The good news is that sub-zero temperatures have been forecast over the next few days; that’s good for us.”
Heinen continued, “Once it freezes, we can use our snow cannons to cover the slopes. If we can get some extra snow, that would be even better”.
“But we should be able to open the blue run for downhill skiing and the toboggan run this weekend. The red run, on the other hand, is likely to be too small. But we’re going to open this weekend, and we hope we’ll get quite a few people.”
Thier des Rexhons in Spa and Val de Wanne in Trois-Ponts are also ready to open if conditions allow, though currently lacking sufficient snow for downhill skiing.
The overall optimism is fueled by the remarkable start to the season in the French, Austrian, and Swiss Alps, where resorts have opened early due to substantial snowfall in the past month. Val Thorens has been running lifts since mid-November, marking an exceptional beginning to the season.
Roel van den Bekerom is a weather reporter for Wintersport. Be highlighted the extraordinary conditions, stating, “Switzerland has already received double the normal amount of snow.”
He added, “The northern Alps haven’t had such a snowy start to the season since 2005. In November 2019, there was even more snow, but then it was limited to the southern Alps. Now almost all resorts are turning white.”
For Belgian winter sports enthusiasts, this promising start is a welcome change from last year’s disappointment during the Christmas holidays, marked by endless rain and grassy slopes.
Van den Bekerom offers reassurance, noting, “Of course, some of the snow in the lower areas may melt away, but plenty of artificial snow has been produced in recent weeks.
Like the snow in the higher areas, this does not melt away again so quickly, even if there is a solid thaw.”
As the Belgian resorts eagerly await the influx of snow enthusiasts, the combination of natural snowfall and artificial snow production sets the stage for an exciting ski season, promising adventure and enjoyment for locals looking to embrace the winter wonderland closer to home.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
