Several Belgian ski and sledging slopes opened on Friday due to snowfall in the eastern region. Icy temperatures mean they will likely remain open on Saturday.
Several mountain slopes are covered by sufficient snow to open for cross-country skiing, sledging and even alpine skiing on Friday.
Of the 15 resorts in the Eastern Cantons (a small region in eastern Belgium, encompassing some 730 square kilometres), three will be accessible this Friday, according to the snow report of the region's tourism office. The bulletin is regularly updated online.
Snow sport enthusiasts can sledge on the Ovifat slope in Liège, which boasts a 15-centimetre snow cover on Friday morning. Two alpine ski slopes at this resort (green and blue) are also open.
In Mont Spinette near Malmedy, one of the cross-country ski trails (11 kilometres), is covered in 10 centimetres of snow and is accessible, albeit with an unmarked path.
Club de Ski Alpin in Ovifat, Waimes, in the Hautes Fagnes in Eastern Belgium. Credit: Belga
Losheimergraben, near the German border, has 15 centimetres of snow. Its three cross-country ski trails, ranging from 4 to 12 km, are open.
Finally, in the Luxembourg province, at the Baraque de Fraiture, 10 centimetres of snow was reported on Friday morning. Here, the sledging and alpine ski slopes are accessible. A sledging slope is also available at Val de Wanne (Trois-Ponts).
Local tourism authorities are optimistic that the snow will remain on the slopes throughout the weekend. "It snowed again recently near Malmedy and the cold weather is expected to persist," said Benoît Bodart, an employee at the Maison du Tourisme des Hautes Fagnes – Cantons de l'Est.
"The slopes that are open now should stay open this weekend, certainly on Saturday."
