Looking ahead: 5 million euros for even more fun in the snow

Snow safety, sustainability and promotion of snow sports for children

The ski resorts in the Sauerland winter sports arena have used the summer to make plans for the coming winter. It has now been finalised: around 5 million euros will once again be invested in winter sports. The measures are intended to improve snow safety while at the same time significantly increasing sustainability. 

All-weather snow guns, which can produce snow regardless of the outside temperature, have been used in the Winterberg ski lift carousel for several years. Initially, these were individual systems that were installed for testing and development purposes. The technology has since proved its worth and energy requirements have been continuously reduced. By utilising the waste heat, the energy balance is currently improving enormously once again. There will be seven new systems in the Winterberg ski lift carousel next winter. One of them will supply the Schneewittchenhaus with heat as a pilot project. This multifunctional building includes catering, ski hire, ticket sales and staff accommodation.

Traditional snowmaking using fan guns and snow lances utilises the cold provided by nature to turn clear water into fine snow crystals. All-weather snowmaking systems, on the other hand, generate cold themselves, again without polluting the water.

Energy balance makes huge progress
Wherever cold is produced, heat is generated. From the outset, the aim of manufacturers and lift operators was to utilise this waste heat, which is now possible. Using a heat exchanger, it is transferred to water and transported 50 metres through insulated pipes to the Schneewittchenhaus. 

A comparison: The new all-weather snow system at the Schneewittchenhaus supplies up to 95 kW of usable energy for heat recovery. A heat pump for a single-family home (100 to 150 square metres) usually provides around 5 to 7.5 kW of heating power. If the system were categorised according to energy efficiency classes like refrigerators, it would achieve class C. 

Development is progressing steadily. The latest generation of all-weather snow systems is the most efficient. The first of these is located on the Poppenberg. It even has a usable thermal energy output of 160 kW and would achieve energy efficiency class A. The system at Schneewittchenhaus can produce up to 210 cubic metres of snow per day, while the one on Poppenberg can produce up to 360 kW.

The operators at Poppenberg also want to utilise the waste heat from the system. Construction work has already begun, but will have to pause over the winter. The operators expect completion in the course of 2025 and, if successful, further plants will be made usable for heat recovery as soon as possible.

All-weather snowmaking systems of this type can be found in the Winterberg ski lift carousel on the Schneewittchenhang, in the Rauhen Busch and, more recently, on the Bremberg. As snow production is now possible in these areas regardless of the outside temperature, the pistes are now highly snow-sure. The systems help to make the start of the season more predictable and to maintain skiing operations when classic snowmaking cannot be used in certain phases. This involves a total of five to six kilometres of slopes. 

In addition, classic snowmaking is being optimised on the cap in the Winterberg ski lift carousel. At one point, older snow guns are being replaced with new, more powerful and energy-efficient ones. 

The situation is similar at the Altastenberg ski carousel. Following the major investments of previous years, smaller-scale measures are now being implemented to optimise the use of the snowmaking system and the lift. The final construction work on the chairlift at the hall to store the chairs has now been completed.

The Fahlenscheid ski resort near Olpe is also expanding its snowmaking system and adding new, particularly energy-efficient machines to the existing snow guns. They have also equipped their piste roller with a GPS snow depth measurement system. When grooming the piste, the operators can use the displayed values to recognise exactly where snow is still needed and where there is enough. A total of five ski resorts now rely on this resource-saving system. Experience has shown that it can save around ten per cent of the energy used for snowmaking, while also helping to improve the quality of the slopes.

The Fahlenscheid ski area is clearly laid out and well suited to families. That's why the operators have developed special family packages and are working on other projects to brighten up the day in the snow for visitors of all ages. 

On the way to climate neutrality 
Another measure to increase sustainability is the use of ‘biodiesel’. From next winter, the piste rollers in the Winterberg ski lift carousel will be powered exclusively by HVO. The use of this environmentally friendly new fuel saves up to 90 per cent CO2 compared to conventional diesel, meaning that the snow groomers can be operated in an almost climate-neutral way. 

For four years now, the five largest ski resorts in the region have been using only green electricity to power their lifts. The current measures, heat recovery and HVO, are further steps towards increasing sustainability. The aim is for winter sports in the region to be climate-neutral by 2030.

Another piece of good news is that the reservoirs in all ski resorts are well filled after the wet year. The abundant rain has replenished the water reservoirs in the forests and contained the bark beetle. Areas where ‘beetle wood’ previously had to be removed have been reforested with beech, Douglas fir, spruce and silver fir in the Winterberg ski lift carousel in the Rauher Busch and Bremberg areas. 

Healthy activity in the snow for children and young people
A trip to the snow, skiing or tobogganing with the whole class: Not all children are able to do this. The Wintersport-Arena Sauerland has developed a programme to relieve parents and offer children healthy exercise and fun in the snow. After the great demand in the previous winter, the initiators now want to continue and expand this programme. Ten school classes can spend a day skiing or tobogganing. Skiing lessons, equipment and tickets are free for those who apply. The ten ski days will be raffled off via various channels until the end of the year. Enquiries from class teachers are accepted by the project office. 

The Winterberg ski lift carousel is also committed to promoting skiing among children. The international Kids on ski initiative aims to help parents to enable children to ski and get them excited about skiing. Following the successful pilot phase in well-known Alpine ski resorts, the initiative is now being rolled out in Germany's low mountain ranges for the first time. Accommodation, tickets, ski lessons and equipment for pre-school children are free of charge. Anyone who books a stay of five days during the week in the participating hotels can take part in the promotion. This applies to the pre-season until the start of the Christmas holidays, in January from the end of the Christmas holidays (6 January) and in the post-season from 3 March. 

The kids on snow programme has been running in the Neuastenberg ski village for around 15 years. The project is an initiative of the German Ski Instructors' Association (DLSV) and therefore guarantees high professional quality. Teachers register their classes at the Hochsauerland ski school in Neuastenberg. Specific dates are available. Ski lessons, equipment and tickets are available at a greatly reduced price. 

In addition, many ski schools offer discounts in the form of special school class programmes in cooperation with the ski resorts.