Skating and skiing: starting out in winter sports at these 3 destinations

Fancy trying skating and skiing at a single destination abroad? There are a few fine places where these sports come together in one area. You could start out in winter sports at the Weissensee, for instance.

Narrow blades en and long skis are different disciplines with different crowds. Which is why a skating holiday soon takes you to different destinations than a skiing holiday. And yet the two can be combined.

Starting out in winter sports at the Weissensee: skating lake and ski area

Skating enthusiasts above all choose a skating holiday on the Weissensee, but you can ski there too. Beginners can get a taste of winter sports there in relative peace. The crowds are absent here.

The Weissensee ski area is remarkably small, with 6 or 7 kilometres of pistes. The pistes at the top are simply laid out as well. Which makes it an excellent place to start out in winter sports.

There are blue pistes for beginners and the slightly more advanced. There is ‘red’ for the advanced only. Lovers of black pistes, the very advanced, have no business here.

• In the period of the Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour thousands of Dutch people come to the Weissensee, at the end of January. Mostly recreational skaters who want to skating on natural ice.

Reschensee and Reschenpass: skating and skiing in a border region

The Reschenpass connects Austria and Italy. In the Reschen region you find no fewer than 138 kilometres of pistes. Almost 40% are blue; there are also plenty of red pistes and some black.

Both Schonëben and Nauders both offer fairly wide pistes with room for beginners.

• The skating, meanwhile, is on the Italian side. The Reschensee has an ice guarantee comparable to the Weissensee, with natural ice easily 40 cm thick.

Drawback: not much ice is always prepared. The nearby Haidersee still offers a good deal of skating pleasure, although the wind often blows hard.

Starting out in winter sports, and skating on the St. Moritzersee

The Sankt Moritz ski region is a chapter of its own, with a certain elite air. And four ski areas good for more than 300 km of pistes.

In general most pistes here are red, blue or black to a lesser degree. In the Corviglia ski area there are certainly blue options enough.

Luxurious Sankt Moritz does not look like the most obvious choice for starting out in winter sports. At the same time it has something very special about it. That lies in the fact that winter sports themselves began in this region.

A destination with history, then. Where skating and skiing come together beautifully. Because the glorious lake of Sankt Moritz tempts you to strap on your blades straight away. Welcome to the St. Moritzersee.