Winterberg and Hallenberg

The name says it all. Where the Sauerland mountains are at their highest, winter sports are at home. There are plenty of steep slopes. The numerous ski slopes offer great views, even for non-skiers. And of course there are also cozy huts.

Polar dance

Not only skiers get their money's worth. Those who prefer hiking will also find cleared trails. However, clearing is not absolutely necessary, as even on the Kahler Asten the snow conditions are rarely so high that you can't get through without boards under your feet.

The name says it all. Where the Sauerland mountains are at their highest, winter sports are at home. There are plenty of steep slopes. The numerous ski slopes offer great views, even for non-skiers. Of course, there are also cozy huts.

In the east, the first blue-violet of dawn appears as we arrive at the summit of the Kahler Asten. Gusts of wind arise. They rob the branches of their wafer-thin white dress and blow the fine snow drizzle into the air. At least a few blue twinkling stars flash for a fraction of a second - a prelude to the dance, the polar dance for which we have come to the Kahler Asten almost two hours before sunrise. The sky, on the other hand, contributes nothing to the starry dance. Mountains of clouds race across the firmament. But anyone who is often out in the morning knows that the dance of the snow drizzles in the first light of dawn is promising. The great light moods can be something. Of course, there are also many winter days on the Kahler Asten when the trees are covered in deep snow - if not here, where else in the Sauerland?

Today the weather was very sparing with the white powder, but it was enough to reflect the increasingly developing sky color on the ground and trees. The blue-violet of the eastern horizon turns to orange and the black of the firmament to royal blue. The massive tower on the highest point of the branch is now clearly visible. Not long after the blue turns to gray, the sun finds holes between the chasing clouds. Now the photographers are getting pretty hectic. When a great light mood lasts a few seconds, you're happy. It feels like they only last a fraction of a second. Despite temperatures in the double digits below zero, this morning is all about sweating instead of freezing. Changing lenses, changing perspectives, changing positions - the photographers take on the most hectic part of the polar dance. While the snow drizzle and clouds perform a ballet full of natural grace, the photographers hop clumsily behind them, like dance students who have forgotten their steps and are always half a beat behind the music.

This is the polar dance that I know well from Sauerland, but which a winter morning in the Sauerland mountains can also offer in perfection. As the light fades from orange to yellow, the snow drizzles come to rest, while the dance of the clouds really picks up speed. Fortunately, my camera on the tripod can record a video of their dance around the neighboring Bollerberg tower all by itself. So I can concentrate on the photos with a second camera in my hand.

The dance lasts all day. Other tower-crowned mountains are among our photo destinations, not least the Ziegenhellen above Züschen on the border with Wittgensteiner Land. The photographers are really out of breath when they arrive at the Hombergjause above Züschen at dusk and knock the last snow drizzlers off their shoulders. Schnitzel and Kaiserschmarren are ready for our refreshment. And such a long dance naturally makes you thirsty for beer.

The cozy hut with its fantastic view over wide meadows and gently rolling Sauerland mountains is open all year round. Even at the end of the most stressful day, the innkeepers welcome their guests with incredible cheerfulness. You can tell they have hospitality deep in their blood. Simple, tasty dishes are on the menu and guests can rest assured: Nothing here comes out of a bag or from a factory.

Of course, we could have stopped off on one of the other mountains that our hunt for the perfect winter light had taken us to earlier. We passed the Hochheidehütte above Niedersfeld in the late morning. The smell of freshly grilled food wafted over the white sugared Hochheide Neuer Hagen, the largest expanse of heath in the Sauerland, with its gentle sweeps and picturesque groups of trees. The hut is located exactly where the heathland opens up to a wide panoramic view that extends to the western end of the Sauerland. The Hohleyerhütte directly on the Rothaarsteig would have offered us another chance to stop for refreshments, had we taken the time to let the magical pictures wait a while and answer the call for coffee and cake.

Whichever delights you choose: Even when enjoying culinary delights, photographers can't put their cameras down. This is both the curse and blessing of digital photography. In the past, you had to wait two weeks for the developed films to see whether the slides showed exactly what was stored so impressively in your head. Today, all you have to do is press a button and the contents of the camera memory chip can be compared immediately with the contents of the head. "Did you see that?" And "That moment was really great," and so on. No two pictures are the same. When the weather ensures that the big polar dance really picks up speed, whole crowds of photographers can take completely different pictures in the same place.

A cozy hut atmosphere, delicious food, hot and cold drinks and, above all, cameras full of great lighting moments - that makes for a truly winter wonderland.

Klaus-Peter Kappe