Skiing and tobogganing on up to 50 lifts

Wintersport-Arena Sauerland is well equipped for the second main season

The second main season in the Sauerland winter sports arena begins with the Lower Saxony school holidays. At the weekend, guests can choose between almost 50 ski and toboggan lifts on the snow-covered pistes. There is also a 4.3 kilometre cross-country ski trail.

Alpine skiing

With mild temperatures and little precipitation, the snow on the snow-covered pistes remains fairly stable. At the weekend, winter sports operations are expected at around 45 ski lifts in the region from Willingen via Winterberg to Schmallenberg and possibly Olpe. Up to ten ski areas are expected to be open. Conditions on the snow-covered pistes are still good to very good, depending on the snow conditions, with up to 70 centimetres of snow cover. The best day of the weekend will certainly be Saturday. Info: www.wintersport-arena.de/alpin

- Floodlit skiing is possible in the ski resorts on Fridays, Saturdays or Wednesdays. Floodlit skiing in Willingen is cancelled on Friday. Info: www.wintersport-arena.de/skifahren-boarden/flutlicht-und-funparks

- The fun park in Neuastenberg is open for snowboarders and freeskiers: The large Pro Snowpark on the Obere Postwiese and the Beginner Park on the upper eastern slope.

Tobogganing

Toboggan lifts run exclusively on the snow-covered pistes. There is a good base of technically produced snow there. Around ten toboggan lifts are expected to be in operation throughout the region at the weekend. In Neuastenberg, tobogganing is also possible under floodlights. Information on toboggan lifts can be found at www.wintersport-arena.de/rodeln/rodellifte.

Cross-country skiing

The Snow Park with a technically snow-covered, modelled course is open at the Westfeld cross-country skiing centre. The 4.3-kilometre trail has up to one metre of snow and offers good winter sports conditions.

Weather conditions

The weather will remain mild for the time being, with only light precipitation and many dry spells from Thursday morning. In the night to Friday, there will be night frost on the mountains, so that the pistes will be firm again in the morning. The day itself rewards with a few hours of sunshine. Saturday will be damp, Sunday will also be wet. From the current perspective, Saturday should be the nicer day for winter sports. Temperatures are expected to drop in the coming week. A few snowflakes may fall on the mountains. It remains to be seen whether the real cold will arrive at the end of the week. There is a tendency towards it.

Events and activities

Ski jumping in Willingen is cult. A sea of flags from all over the world, cowbells, crazy costumes: at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup from 2 to 4 February on the Mühlenkopfschanze in Willingen, the fans go wild. No wonder - after all, they want to motivate the world's best "eagles" to top performances during their breathtaking jumps from the world's largest large hill. Training starts at 12 noon on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the women will start first, followed by the men. Admission is at 11 am on these days.

Germany's northernmost snowboard hotspot will once again be the centre of a snowboard event. On Saturday, 3 February, the Bataleon Anniversary Jam starts at Postwiesen Park in Neuastenberg. The occasion is the 20th birthday of the Bataleon brand. The event kicks off at 11 a.m. in the new event location directly under the chairlift exit on the Obere Postwiese. Snowboarders should not miss the jam session in the fun park and the test event. From 11.30 am to 2.30 pm, DJs will be spinning their electro beats right on the edge of the Pro Park. Then it's on to hip hop tunes until 5pm. The community will be testing boards, jamming and chilling together in the fun park until around 10 pm with sound, drinks and BBQ. From 6 pm under floodlights. Afterwards, the fun continues at the after-show party in the Zone Null Club in Winterberg.

Free travel on the World Cup weekend

When the eagles fly over the Mühlenkopf ski jump in Willingen and thousands of spectators cheer them on, winter sports enthusiasts in the ski area have a free ride. Skiing in Willingen on the World Cup weekend has become something of an "insider tip". Rarely do winter sports enthusiasts have so much space on the slopes. If you arrive outside the start and finish times of the ski jumping, you can get to the piste without any traffic jams. The ski area opens at 8.30 am, much earlier than the ski jumping starts. There are no traffic jams to worry about on Friday, arrivals start at midday. On Saturday and Sunday, World Cup spectators will arrive between 10 and 11 a.m. and leave again between 5 and 6 p.m. Visitors should indicate at the traffic controls in and around Willingen that they are travelling to the ski resort or hiking on the Ettelsberg. Around 1700 free parking spaces are available exclusively for winter sports enthusiasts at the lifts themselves.

Travel tips

With the Lower Saxony school holidays starting on Thursday, the region is expecting a lively influx of visitors to the core area at the weekend. So here are a few tips on how to get there:

- Plan your journey well: check which car park you want to go to and which route leads there.

- If you need ski equipment, reserve it in advance at the hire shop of your choice.

- Booking tickets online saves waiting time at the ticket office. A KeyCard is required for this. It takes approx. 4 days to be sent by post. It is worth ordering, even if the KeyCard does not arrive in time for the weekend. It can be topped up again and again and is useful for the next visits.

- Set off early, in the largest ski resorts the car parks are often already very full when the lifts open.

- Avoid the typical access routes: Simply don't follow the sat nav's recommendations, as it recommends the same to all guests.

If you are travelling from the Ruhr area: Leave the A46 at Meschede and drive to Winterberg via Bödefeld or Eslohe.

Leave the B7 after Bestwig and drive to Winterberg via Elpe and Siedlungshausen.

Sustainable travel to the snow

Travelling to the snow regions by bus and train is environmentally friendly and, with the Deutschlandticket, also cheap. There is a railway connection in Willingen and Winterberg. The Willingen ski area is within walking distance of the railway station. In Winterberg, the ski bus commutes daily between the largest ski areas. Holders of a Skiliftkarussell+ ticket (one and two-day tickets) or a Wintersport-Arena Card (3 to 7 days) can use it free of charge to explore the region's ski areas. The Skilift Carousel+ Ticket is valid in the Winterberg ski lift carousel, in Neuastenberg, in the Altastenberg ski carousel, in the Sahnehang family ski area and in the Ruhrquelle tobogganing paradise. The Wintersport-Arena Card is also valid in the Willingen ski area and in Bödefeld-Hunau.

Event calendar

2-4 February FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Willingen

3 February Bataleon 20Y Anniversary, Postwiesen Park in Neuastenberg

10 February Cross-country skiing action days, Pastorenweise Wunderthausen (relocated from Girkhausen)

10-11 February The Takeover - Snowpark Event at the Winterberg ski lift carousel on the Kappe

19 February to 3 March BMW IBSF World Championships Bobsleigh and Skeleton in Winterberg

23 February Warsteiner company floodlit skiing, Willingen ski resort

9 to 10 March Snowboard World Cup on the Poppenberg in the Winterberg ski lift carousel