Winter sports
It is also important to get enough exercise in winter. Regular physical activity is essential for the prevention of many diseases. It generally leads to better performance of muscles, heart and circulation. What strengthens the body relaxes the soul: Sport makes you feel optimistic, gives you a better body awareness and increases your self-esteem. Physical activity can therefore help with mood swings and depression.
Physical activity stimulates the production of happy hormones in the brain, which lifts our spirits. Endurance sports cause the release of endorphins, the associated feelings of happiness alleviate anxiety and increase well-being. Stress, tension, frustration and aggression are reduced. Activity strengthens self-esteem. Experts therefore recommend at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes of exercise per week.
Falling temperatures are often used as an excuse to skip outdoor sports, although calm endurance sports with an even effort level are ideal in winter. Even the tiresome winter blues can be alleviated through exercise and sport.
Anyone who does sports in winter also strengthens their immune system and suffers from fewer infections. Cross-country, hiking, walking, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, tobogganing, snowshoeing and jogging are among the most popular winter sports in this country. You can really enjoy the winter with winter sports.
We have once again looked around at where you can spend beautiful winter sports days.
Winter hiking for body and soul in Tessin
Winter hiking in cold, clear mountain air is not only healthy, it’s also fun, keeps you in shape and lets your body and mind regenerate. In the snowy north of Tessin, unlike in the neighbouring Swiss cantons, there are no ski tourism hotspots, but small snow paradises with manageable ski areas, kilometres of cross-country ski trails and designated hiking trails.
The sustainable snow sport has long since found its way there and the selection of routes at every level of difficulty leads through varied terrain. A popular starting point is the Maggia Valley with the highest village in Tessin, Bosco Gurin at 1,504 metres. A picture-postcard landscape accompanies the tour through wild nature and whitewashed forests around the rustic village.
The signposted trails in the Bedretto Valley at the foot of the Gotthard Pass and in the Blenio Valley, which stretches between 1,400 and 2,200 metres above sea level and reaches from the Lukmanier Pass down the valley to Biasca, are considered no less beautiful. Since winter 2021/22, the almost six-kilometre-long circular route “Percorso Nara-Cancori” with the valley station in Leontica as the starting point has complemented the sun-kissed region.
Freestyle above the rooftops of Innsbruck on the Nordkette Skylinepark
In just 20 minutes you can get directly from the Innsbruck city centre to the 1,905 m high Seegrube, where the Nordkette Skylinepark is located. In a cool atmosphere above the rooftops of Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, the Nordkette Skylinepark has plenty in store for die-hard ski and snowboard freestylers.
The generous setup with kicker lines, industry tubes and down rails, among other things, requires a certain level of skill. “We would classify the level of the Skylinepark as ‘medium plus’.” This means that there are mainly medium-difficulty elements complemented by a few pro elements.
So the park is not necessarily suitable for beginners. “However, there is a kicker line on which simple jumps can be easily learned,” says Anna Geiger, Marketing Manager of the Innsbruck Nordkette runs. The highlight of the season is scheduled for spring, when Innsbruck’s snowboard elite will gather at the start of April 2023 at the Sane! Spring Break on the Seegrube.
Exclusive winter experiences on the Turracherhöhe
Snowshoe hike, hut breakfast and First Ride on the slopes – all in one day. The morning hour trilogy is one of the exclusive winter experiences with which the “Piste butlers” of the Turracherhöhe spoil their guests.
That is because if you are on holiday on the high plateau between Carinthia and Styria, you don’t have to worry about the program. For more than 20 years, the Piste butler has been a real guarantee for VIP feeling.
From Monday to Thursday (26 December to 18 April) he shows visitors on foot, with snowshoes or on skis the most beautiful corners of the region and provides exclusive insights. How do the cable cars actually work?
What are typical local delicacies? And which is actually the most beautiful downhill run of the 43 kilometres of perfectly maintained slopes? The butler also always has a surprise in store for children, for example when they grill marshmallows with him over the open fire after a winter walk. Guests staying at Butler establishments can enjoy the free winter program and many other benefits. Registration is possible up to a few hours before the start, subject to availability.
Winter hiking in the mudflats on the North Sea
Ice-cold wind, glittering ice surfaces and the sandy ground crunching and cracking underfoot with every step. When the water is gone, the mudflats offer a world of wonders even in the cold season. What is one of the most popular holiday activities on the North Sea in summer – barefoot and with sunglasses – is also possible in winter:
Hiking in the mudflats. Equipped with a thick anorak, rubber boots and warm socks, the landscape of mud and silt with all the legacies of the sea can be experienced alone or in a group.
What does the lugworm do in winter, how do the mussels survive and where have all the crabs gone? If you want to know whether and how the animals in the mudflats survive the cold season, the best thing to do is to follow one of the mudflat guides, who also regularly invite you to expert trips to the mudflats between November and April. And with a bit of luck, one or the other mudflat resident can also be seen.
In the North Sea spa Cuxhaven, guided mudflat walks with different themes take place all year round. “With the tide to the mainland” or “Winter mudflat hike” are intensive encounters with the wintry tides. In the icy seascape you can go amber hunting and discover how much life there is in the ice-cold mudflats. “The mudflats are alive” shows the participants how lugworms, mussels and crabs survive the winter in the mudflats.
A trip to the mudflats should be made in the cold season as part of a guided mudflat hike. Those who prefer to go into the mudflats on their own can use the mudflat walking times, which are posted daily, as a guide. Then the rescue station in Duhnen is also manned, which monitors the mudflats off Cuxhaven with radar and provides rapid assistance in case of danger; nevertheless, a guided mudflat walk is recommended
Winter sports near Kitzbühel
Those who like to retreat to nature and idyll after an eventful day at the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel – one of the most famous skiing events in the world – should spend the days between 16 and 22 January in the nearby Hohe Salve region.
With its charming accommodation and varied offers for individualists, the combination of adventure and relaxation is effortless: Simply board the exclusive ÖBB shuttle in Wörgl in the morning, get off directly at the Hahnenkamm station after just 30 minutes and get a taste of competition air.
Practical: The Kitzbüheler Alpen guest card, which holidaymakers receive free of charge at the accommodation, automatically serves as a ticket for local public transport. Nature lovers spend the afternoon, for example, in Kelchsau – a picturesque side valley of the Hohe Salve region with few people and many opportunities.
If you like, you can start a relaxing winter hike or cross-country skiing tour. Do you prefer to go higher? With its untouched slopes and fantastic views, the Kelchsau is considered an absolute insider tip for ski tourers.
We wish you a wonderful winter sports season.
