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White variety full of surprises

Rainer Jäpel knows winter like few Saxons. He can report from the cold on Asian eight-thousanders and breathtaking ski tours in the high mountains of Iran, in the Taurus Mountains or in the Caucasus. He knows the Scandinavian Fjäll in the white season – and the Saxon Erzgebirge like his down pocket. From his experiences on distant continents he tells with the same enthusiasm as from the nocturnal ski touring climb to the Geising mountain. In search of the most beautiful “winter places” of Saxony for the new film “Being here – a Winter story” Jäpel had the perfect nose and always a contact person ready. “When you’re out and about a lot, you get to know a few people,” says Jäpel modestly.

A Globetrotter in the right place

Of course, the 43-year-old is in the habit of occasionally combining his winter passion with his job. As head of the Dresdner branch of the outdoor equipment supplier “Globetrotter” he already has to know “where you can send people who fancy nature and winter sports,” says Jäpel. “Even around Dresden there are so many opportunities for winter sports.” You do not always have to look for the comparison with the Alps, because as nice as it is there – “for a cross-country round after work, they are out of the question.”

Instead, Jäpel and his team are always looking for ideas to whet their appetite for winter in Saxony, for example with test weekends for snowshoes or skis, where customers can first try out which sport is right for them.

He also likes to advertise his sporting passion, the “telemark”. Together with some enthusiasts from Holzhau, he cares for this technically and physically demanding downhill technique, which is recognizable when cornering at one deeply bent knee.

But regardless of all the hobby Rainer Jäpel is sure: “The winter in Saxony has to offer much more than many people realize.” He means the short distances, a family-friendly price-performance ratio in the winter sports resorts of the Free State and the great Hospitality. “As soon as the snow conditions permit at the end of February, the cross-country ski tour on the Erzgebirgskamm from Schöneck to Altenberg is obligatory! That’s about 180 kilometers and if you stop in a little cottage in the evening, you’re right in the middle of it – like in a family. “

The mood on the set for the shooting of the winter film was relaxed. In this weather, work is fun.