During mid-February, German content creators and influencers Maik “Zarbex” and Max Schradin held a collaborative marathon event centered around the snowy weather and winter adventures. This IRL streaming event generated millions of hours watch time and solidified itself as one of the most popular pieces of German streaming content of 2026 so far.
The tour, titled the Winterberg-Tour 2026, saw the two creators explore multiple locations across Germany and Austira. The winter expedition focused on skiing, snowboarding, yodeling courses, and various challenges in snowy environments spread across six days of livestreamed action.
Both creators live broadcasted the action 24/7 to their respective Twitch channels, including day-to-day life inside the tour bus and camper van, journeys to ski resorts, and on-location activities. This around-the-clock approach allowed viewers to follow the entire adventure in real-time, creating an immersive content creator collaboration that extended beyond traditional highlight-based content.
On top of the constant live broadcasts, they also uploaded highlight videos of the streams to their YouTube accounts — on top of the strong livestreaming viewership, they accumulated hundreds of thousands more views with these videos. This multi-platform distribution strategy maximized audience reach, allowing viewers who missed live broadcasts to catch up on key moments while maintaining engagement with the ongoing live stream.
Zarbex & Schradin Winterberg-Tour 2026: Viewership Statistics & Peak Moments
The viewership metrics for the Winterberg-Tour 2026 reflect strong sustained engagement throughout. Across both channels, over 3.97M Hours Watched was generated by German-speaking livestreaming audiences — the majority of this Twitch viewership came from zarbex’s channel. Similarly, of the 73.3K Peak Viewers, over 55,000 over these concurrent viewers were found on zarbex’s channel, making this one of his most popular streams ever. During the tour, Zarbex was the #2 most-watched streamer on across Twitch viewership records.
The event reached its peak viewership in true ‘Schadenfreude’ fashion for the German streaming market. Driving through potentially-dangerous snowy conditions in their camper van, tensions ran high between Schradin and Zarbex on their way to their mountain accommodation. Deciding to turn the van around before settling in, they drove onwards to a small courtyard, where Max promptly left zarbex behind after he stepped out to guide a stressful turning manovere.
Max Schradin's unexpected decision to leave Zarbex behind during a stressful turning maneuver captivated audiences, driving concurrent viewers to unprecedented levels as they witnessed the unscripted drama unfold. According to Twitch statistics 2026, this was one of the strongest influencer marketing events in Germany.
The Winterberg-Tour is not these two’s first collaboration. They previously held a week-long Scooter Tour in 2024, and how they work off – and work up – one another has long entertained viewers. The Winterberg-Tour's performance validates their collaborative approach and long-form content strategy.
The Winterberg-Tour's viewership and live stream analytics performance reflects the increasing popularity of IRL streaming within German-speaking markets. While gaming content continues to dominate Twitch globally, IRL streams have carved out a significant niche, particularly when they incorporate adventure elements, physical challenges, and unpredictable real-world scenarios.
Top German Streamers 2026: Zarbex & Schradin's Impact
By Hours Watched & Peak Viewers
Thanks to the Winterberg-Tour, zarbex ranks as one of the most popular German streamers of 2026. Also known as Mr.Geil, zarbex is currently the third-most-watched German streamer of 2026 and ranks within the top five per peak concurrent viewers. The tour with Max Schradin accounted for nearly half of his total watch time for the year, catapulting him up both rankings past streaming platform trends.
As streaming platforms continue evolving beyond their gaming-centric origins, events like the Winterberg-Tour represent a blueprint for content creators seeking to build audiences through real-world experiences. The tour's combination of adventure, personality-driven content, unpredictability, and cultural exploration resonated with German-speaking audiences.
Its success signals that compelling content need not be confined to gaming or esports. When executed with strong personalities, genuine experiences, and effective cross-platform distribution, real-world adventures can captivate audiences at scales comparable to traditional streaming categories—a trend that will likely continue shaping the German streaming landscape in 2026 and beyond.
Who are Zarbex and Max Schradin? German Streamer Profiles
Max Schradin, born in 1978 in Frankfurt, is a German television host and, now, streamer. After building a career in television and radio, he began making steps to establish himself on Twitch, YouTube, and other social media channels. His presence online has rapidly grown and he has also become known for collaborating with established streamers and appearing at streamer events as a host.
Schradin's approach combines elements of his television hosting experience with the unscripted, participatory nature of live streaming. His ability to maintain viewer engagement during extended broadcasts and coordinate complex multi-day events has positioned him as one of the prominent figures in German IRL streaming.
Zarbex has established a reputation as one of Germany's leading streamers, known particularly for extended challenges and adventure-based content. His time in livestreaming dates back to the early 2010s, when he began to create YouTube videos. Years later, he would make the move to livestreaming and shift his focus onto building an audience on Twitch.
His content online centers on authentic, unscripted experiences that unfold in real-time. While he does sometimes stream gaming content, most of his viewership comes from Just Chatting — that is, when not from marathon or IRL special events. This approach has resonated with German-speaking audiences seeking alternatives to traditional gaming content on Twitch.
