Winter sports are extremely popular with the Dutch. Ski halls at various locations in the country are busy all year round, but especially when winter comes again, snow fever starts to flare up again. Real outdoor winter sports is of course what most people are all about. A nice location for winter sports, close to home, that is Winterberg.
The village of Winterberg
The German village of Winterberg, in the middle of the Sauerland hills, is less than a 4-hour drive from Utrecht. Winterberg is a tourist village that mainly focuses on winter sports. There are many tourist shops, a real Christmas market around the holidays, but perhaps even more importantly, there is a fairly large ski area.
Due to the large ski area, there are many tourists in Winterberg every year. There are various locations to stay overnight. You can sleep in a hotel in the center, or a little outside the village in a holiday park. Buses go from almost every location to the ski area, where you can tear down the slopes with your own or rented equipment.
Winter sports in Winterberg
Sauerland is close to the Netherlands and does not have high mountains compared to the Alps. How is it possible that Winterberg is so popular with the Dutch? That’s because you are pretty sure of snow in Winterberg! Almost all slopes have several snow cannons, so that if it gets a little cold, a large layer of snow can be provided immediately. The slopes in Winterberg are generally open earlier than the slopes in surrounding villages!
Various slopes around Winterberg
In addition to the well-known slopes in the village, there are several ski areas in and around Winterberg. Below you will find a brief overview of the different ski areas. All ski areas have a ski rental and a ski school. There is also the possibility of après ski in all areas.
Ski lift Karussel Winterberg
The ski area on the edge of the village of Winterberg. There are several slopes here with no fewer than 25 lifts, both chair lifts and drag lifts. There are several blue and red runs and one black run. Thanks to the snow cannons, this area is almost always open.
Postwiese ski village Neuastenberg
This ski area can be found on the south side of the Kahler Asten, the mountain that you will find near Winterberg. Here you will also find several lifts and various blue and red runs. There are also snow cannons here, which means that this area is often open.
Skikarussel Altastenberg
Altastenberg is a village near Winterberg. Here you will find a ski area with several blue, red and black slopes, several lifts and a large cross-country skiing area. There are snow cannons on a number of slopes, so they are open regularly.
Eschenberglifte Niedersfeld
In Niedersfeld, a neighboring village of Winterberg, you will find the Eschenberg ski area. With three lifts and a number of descents, this is a small but pleasant ski area. Unfortunately, there are no snow cannons here, so the lifts are closed when there is little snow. However, a ski pass is cheaper here than on the slopes with snow cannons; for 18 euros you can enjoy unlimited skiing for a whole day as an adult.
Ski area Ruhrquelle
Just outside Winteberg is the Skigebiet Ruhrquelle, a small slope with a drag lift and a children’s lift. This is an ideal area to get the feeling again, but there is not a wide choice of descents. However, there is a snow cannon available, so there is a high degree of snow certainty.
Cheap winter sports
Winter sports are seen by many people as a very expensive hobby. However, by going on a winter sports holiday to Winterberg, you will see that the price is not too bad. Firstly, Winterberg is close by, so you will spend less on petrol. You can also easily go there for a weekend or even for a day (there are regular day bus trips from the Netherlands). In addition, overnight stays in Winterberg are on average cheaper than in Austria and you can rent a complete set of skis with poles and boots for an average of 10 euros per day.