Snowfall in Belgium: Nine ski centres open in Liège province

With up to 25cm of snow registered in the southeast of Belgium, a total of nine ski centres are open for business.

In addition to downhill skiing in the centres of Ovifat and Thiers des Rexhons (Spa), winter sport enthusiasts can also snowboard and snowblade.

But they are advised to hit to slopes as soon as possible. “We’ve been lucky to have 20 cms of snow, so we can open for the first time this season,” Thibaut Dosquet of Ovifat ski club told RTBF.

“There’s a good quantity of snow. It’s a little wet, so it’s suitable, but we should be wary if a thaw arrives. On Saturday, it might be complicated to ski, although we hope for a turnaround,” he said.

Six cross-country ski centres in East Belgium have been open since Wednesday. They include Baraque Michel, which is one of the highest locations in the country. The Baugnez centre (Malmedy) is also accessible and offers snowmobiles to rent.

But the sudden snowfall may have arrived too late to save Belgium’s ski season. Stations such as Baraque de Fraiture are growing accustomed to a shortfall of the white stuff and are diversifying their activities.

A BMX trail is one recent acquisition at the popular nature and sport site, while in the absence of snow, its ski slope and drag tows are being used for mountain bike descents and ascents.

Photo: Alpine skiing, Baraque de Fraiture ©Jean-Pierre Snyers/WBT Tourist Office