While evidence of the heavy snowfall that took Belgium by storm on Wednesday has melted away in Brussels, in the country's high-altitude areas, the ground is still blanketed by snow.
The first snow of the year has delighted people for several days now and resulted in ski resorts across the south and east of the country opening their doors. With the arrival of the weekend, skiers and walkers alike are flocking outdoors en masse to make the most of the snow.
Many have travelled to the east of the country to take advantage of the sunny weather and sumptuous scenery as around 20 cm of powder is covering the ground there. The authorities were expecting crowds to flock to the highest points of the country but the situation is reportedly unprecedented for a Saturday morning, Belga News Agency reported.
"It's never been seen before," said Daniel Stoffels, the mayor of Waimes, a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège. He added that the Ovifat ski resort in the East Cantons, the only place in Belgium where Alpine skiing is possible and where all ski slopes are currently open, is already saturated.
"The Hautes Fagnes plateau should be very soon. This is unprecedented for a Saturday morning," he said. The large-scale migration to these parts of the country can be explained by the fact that the conditions are exceptional on Saturday, given the excellent quality of the snow, but also because people know the white blanket will be short-lived. Higher temperatures are predicted for Monday, as is rain.
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"A lot of people want to make the most of these moments, which is quite normal," Stoffels said. Traffic and parking measures have been taken to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the site in the best possible conditions.
However, once the Fagne is saturated, the police services on the ground will be inviting visitors to go to the neighbouring communes, where the scenery is "just as magnificent", he added.
