Finale: Ski season ends - providers take stock

Spring has been making its way into the mountains for weeks, but skiing is still going ahead in Eibenstock in the Ore Mountains. "Definitely at the weekend with good weather forecast and a good snow cover," says Stefan Uhlmann, Managing Director of the ski arena. Skiing could even be possible here on the Adlerfelsen until Easter. In contrast, the lifts are already closed in Altenberg in the Osterzgebirge and the season finale is being celebrated on the Fichtelberg this weekend.

More than 100 ski days

Uhlmann speaks of a successful season: "It's been excellent, with more than 110 opening days so far." The ski resort has been open continuously since the end of November. "We had over four months of winter," explains Uhlmann. Even if a final visitor balance is still pending, he speaks of good conditions: Cold weather, natural snow and additional mechanical snowmaking have attracted many guests. According to Uhlmann, 90 to 100 opening days are already considered a "good season" in Eibenstock.

The night skiing offer was particularly well received this winter. For the first time, the slope was illuminated in the colors of the northern lights. "We would like to offer this again next year," says Uhlmann. The facility is already preparing for summer operation: In "Wurzelrudi's Adventure World", this is due to start in the week before Easter. A new play village was built there last year at a cost of 2.5 million euros.

Rush of visitors to the Osterzgebirge

Good winter sports conditions and almost continuous skiing until the beginning of March also prevailed in Altenberg (Saxon Switzerland-Osterzgebirge district), as Manuel Püschel from the Altenberg ski and toboggan arena reports. With almost 100 days of skiing, the ski resort is also one of the winners of the winter. In addition to sufficient cold and natural snow, this was also made possible by the use of artificial snowmaking - including seven snow cannons and 15 snow lances. Altenberg is a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts from the Dresden area, and according to Püschel, many guests also come from the neighboring Czech Republic.

A total of around 200,000 visitors were counted. "At times at the weekend, we had almost too many guests for too few mountains," says Püschel. Looking ahead, Altenberg is preparing for the summer season: The summer toboggan run is due to open on March 30.

Gaudi and après-ski for the finale on the Fichtelberg

In contrast, the winter season started comparatively late on the Fichtelberg. "Skiing only started on New Year's Eve," says Managing Director Constantin Gläß from the Oberwiesenthal lift company. However, the following months were much better: January and February in particular ensured a satisfactory season overall. According to him, final visitor figures are not yet available.

On Saturday (March 21), Saxony's largest alpine ski resort will also be saying goodbye to winter: For the finale, the Fichtelberg will become "Mount Mallorca". Winter sports enthusiasts will compete in a race over a water basin. There will also be classic disciplines such as slalom and mass start and an après-ski party.

The summer season will then begin. A new adventure hiking trail from the summit of the Fichtelberg to the valley, which is particularly aimed at families, is also set to open. New playgrounds are also planned in the area, says Gläß.